


Haunted

by twin_fics



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ghosts, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-27
Updated: 2012-10-27
Packaged: 2017-11-17 03:33:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 21,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/547182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twin_fics/pseuds/twin_fics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ohno inherits a big and ramshackle mansion from a distant relative, but there is much more in his new house than it seems at first sight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Unbetaed. Posted a few years ago.

The sun was setting down behind the near mountains when he heard a car turning into the drive. He slowly moved  toward the room's window and looked through its dirty panes at the elegant black car that was parking in front of the manor's entrance. He frowned with suspicion.   
  
When the vehicle came to a halt, a tall skinny man with a dark grey suit and a clear expression of displeasure got out of it. A moment later, the passenger's door opened and a sloppy casual-street-clothed young man appeared. He was slim and short, perhaps as tall as him, thought Nino. He had spiked light brown hair and a lightly vague expression on his face, visible even from the first floor window.  
  
 _' The old man never learns_ ,' Nino mumbled with a displeased snort. _'Again, he has made his lawyer find another buyer for MY house. Doesn't he grow bored of trying?_ ' he glanced at the young man for a second time. He was examining absently the manor while the lawyer was explaining him something, pointing at the old house. ' _Well, it doesn't matter..._ ' Nino smiled lightly, ' _I'll deal with him the same way I did with the others_.' Nino observed the short man who was taking out some rickety suitcases of the car's boot. ' _They usually give up after the first or the second fright... and this man, with such a naive face, seems to be really easy to scare off_ ,' his smile turned broader, eviler and definitely more menacing.  
  
' _Ah! They seem to have finished the talk already_.' From the window, Nino saw the lawyer quickly getting into the car and disappearing at full speed through the big wrought-iron gates of the fence that enclosed the manor and its gardens. The young man kept staring at the gravel road where the car had left for a few minutes. Then, he shrugged his shoulders and entered in the house dragging his old suitcases with him.  
  
' _The game begins..._ ' Nino laughed out loud, left the window and went towards the door. The echo of his evil howl kept sounding a long time after he left the room.  
  
~~  
  
Ohno looked through the car's window at the lonely road that led up to the hill across the gloomy forest. Right at the end of the path, on top of the hill, the old manor his great-grandfather had left him was settled.  
  
He couldn't believe his good luck when his great-grandfather's lawyer found him in his old little flat, looking for a new job in the newspaper after he was made redundant about three weeks ago. He told him that his great-grandfather from his mother side, whom he had never met due the big rift between his and the main family branch, had died a week ago. The old man had been famous for his eccentric ways all his life, and many of his relatives truly believed that he had finally gone senile because in his will, he imposed a series of restrictive conditions nearly impossible to fulfil. To everybody's surprise, those conditions finally made possible for Ohno to be the only heir of his great-grandfather fortune. As a result, he had inherited an old manor and enough money to live without concerns all his life.  
  
The elegant car crossed the wrought-iron fence enclosing the manor lands and slowly stopped in front of the house's big wooden gate. The lawyer got out of the car while Ohno calmly unhooked his belt. A moment later, he joined the lawyer and looked at the big grey stone house in front of him. A wooden window banged somewhere and a sudden cold gust made him shudder.  
  
' _The manor doesn't seem to be in bad condition..._ ' Ohno thought inspecting carefully the house under the red sunset light, ' _Although with this light is difficult to see its real state. Tomorrow I'll inspect it better._ '  
  
"... village's people don't want to come near because they're really afraid of the manor," the other man was saying and Ohno realized that he hadn't been paying attention to the lawyer's words while he was examining the house.  
  
"Hmmmm..." he answered after noticing that the lawyer was waiting for his reply. "Please don't worry. I don't get scared easily," he reassured him with a little smile. Then he moved towards the car to take his suitcases out of the boot.  
  
The lawyer looked sceptically at him and seemed to reach to a conclusion. He carefully opened his black leather briefcase and took out some keys. "If you are sure..." he put the key ring in Ohno's hand, "These are the house's keys. The biggest one opens the entrance's door and the rest belongs to some closed rooms like the greenhouse or the storeroom. If you have any problem, please call me."  
  
With another doubtful glance, the lawyer said farewell to him and got into the elegant black car, leaving shortly after. Ohno kept staring at the wrought-iron gates where the lawyer's car had disappeared until the last sunbeams dropped out of sight behind the near mountains. Then, he shrugged his shoulders and moved towards the manor's door bringing his suitcases along.  
  
After a bit of persuasion and a loud creaking, the heavy wooden door opened to reveal an enormous hall in darkness. The scarce light of the dawn let glimpse some pieces of furniture covered with sheets to prevent them from getting dusty.  
  
He set his suitcases aside and searched for the switch in the dark, smelling the stale air. "It seems nobody has been here for a long time," he mumbled looking around when the lights turned on.


	2. Chapter 2

With a soft click of the switch, all the lights of the hall turned on. _"At least the lights work,"_ Ohno sighed with relief and looked with interest at the spacious hall with chessboard-pattern marble floor in front of him. The first thing that caught his attention was the big, white marble staircase which led to the upper floor, in the far side of the room. There were two sturdy-looking, wooden doors, one on each side of the room, and beside the staircase he could glimpse the beginning of a corridor in darkness, almost hidden by a dusty curtain. The vacant expressions of the unknown people of the portraits that covered the walls and the sheet-covered furniture definitely gave the hall a strong eerie feeling.  
  
 _"First, I've to find a room to spend the night.,"_ he decided looking at his old suitcases, _"Besides, I should check if lights work and windows are closed... I wonder if there is water available..."_  
  
 _"I suppose bedrooms will be upstairs,"_ he tiredly went up the staircase carrying his suitcases. _"The long travel has worn me out,"_ he yawned. In the upper floor he found a long corridor with doors on each side. He left his bags on the floor and tentatively tried to open the nearest one. It led to a cold room with light-green upholstered walls. The dark-green velvet curtains were softly moving swung by the cold wind that entered through the open balcony. _"A very elegant bedroom,"_ he thought closing the balcony's door, _"I wonder how many days this door has been opened."_  
  
Behind the second door he found a spacious library with heavy, red velvet curtains. Ohno looked astonished at the mahogany bookcases full of large, dust-covered volumes. "What an incredible room!" he whispered with amazement touching lightly the soft spine of the nearest book.  
  
Still amazed, he left the library and opened the door of the next room. This time it was a huge bathroom decorated with lavender ceramic tiles and pink marble. On the far side of the bathroom, behind a light-pink curtain, there was a big, marble bath with shower. The water began to run after Ohno turned the silver tap on to check if hot and cold water was available. _"It's a relief to know I'll be able to take a shower without problems,"_ he thought, _"I suppose my great-grandfather's lawyer put someone in charge to make the manor habitable before my arrival."_  
  
Just when he put his hand on the next door's knob, Ohno noticed a sudden heavy atmosphere -like the air full of ozone before a storm- impregnating the corridor. He frowned a bit dazed and tried to open the door, but he couldn't do it. _"Why is it closed?"_ Ohno struggled with the keys the lawyer had given him, trying one each time, but he didn't succeed. _"Well, I'll deal with it tomorrow,"_ he thought shaking his head.  
  
The rest of the doors led to other bedrooms decorated in different colours. The young man decided to stay in a blue decorated bedroom situated at the very end of the corridor. _"I hope there are some clean sheets inside that wardrobe,"_ he thought with hope going towards the oak wardrobe of the room. Inside he found some old sheets with a faint smell of lavender which he used to make the bed.  
  
His stomach grumbled reminding him that he hadn't had dinner yet, so he went down the staircase and decided to explore the other rooms in search of the kitchen. Behind one of the hall's door he had seen when he entered the house, he found a spacious dinning room with a big oak wooden table for twelve people. The other door led to an elegant sitting room full of big couches, armchairs and some chairs around a mahogany table.  
  
 _"Then, I suppose I'll find the kitchen if I follow that corridor,"_ he turned on the lights and went through the corridor looking interested at the paintings on the walls. At the end he could see two doors. One of them was closed, but it opened easily when he used the keys. _"Possibly it's some kind of basement or cellar,"_ he thought looking at the stair leading down. The other door led to a spacious kitchen, full of cupboards, wooden shelves and with a big oak table situated in the centre of the room. Ohno smiled happily and began to open the cupboards searching for something edible.  
  
He had been looking for food without success for a few minutes when he noticed again that strange heaviness in the air. This time it was more like a feeling of anticipation with a slight amount of mischief. Suddenly, he heard the sound of something made of glass smashing into the kitchen's floor. He slowly got his head out of the cupboard where he was searching for some canned food and noticed a broken bottle on the dirty floor.  
  
Sighing tiredly, he took a broom out of the little closet situated in a corner of the kitchen and began to sweep the sharp shards.  
"There isn't anything edible in the entire house!... I should have insisted on stopping for dinner before arriving. First thing in the morning I'm going to buy something to eat in the near village," he mumbled throwing the dirty shards into the garbage bin.  
  
Ohno left the kitchen dragging his feet. Seconds later, he heard his stomach grumbling again, louder this time.  
  
~~  
  
Nino was rather upset. First, the intruder had tried to barge into HIS room, which he had prevented, of course. And then, he barely reacted when the bottle smashed into the kitchen's floor. _"He didn't even wondered why it fell,"_ he snorted with disdain. _"Well, it doesn't matter... At midnight, a much more interesting show than a few broken bottles will begin,"_ Nino chuckled evilly.


	3. Chapter 3

The twelfth stroke of the old clock in the dinning-room echoed through the quiet manor. A moment later, Ohno's placid sleep was interrupted by a loud noise. He drowsily rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up in the big bed.  
 _"Eh? What was that sound?"_ he yawned, _"... a thunder?"_ He tiredly got up and searched for his slippers under the bed. Then he went towards the bedroom's window, took away the heavy curtains and looked outside. He only could see the house's neglected gardens illuminated by moonlight. There weren't any clouds in the sky and the big moon was shining brilliantly, _"I think I've imagined it."_ When he was moving away from the window to return to the bed, he heard that loud noise again. _"It's strange,"_ he thought frowning. "I suppose I should go to investigate that sound," he sighed.  
  
Ohno left his bedroom and tried to turn on the lights of the dark corridor, but they didn't seem to work. _"I wonder if the house's electric wiring is in worse shape than I first thought."_  
  
He hesitantly walked the corridor in darkness feeling the wall. _"I think I saw some matches and candles inside a drawer when I was searching for food in the kitchen,"_ he shivered slightly. _"I should be in my bed... my pyjamas are too old and too thin to protect me from this cold air,"_ he rubbed his arms trying to warm himself. He found the staircase at the beginning of the corridor and carefully began to go down without loosing his firm grip on the marble banister.   
  
At the exact moment he reached the floor, a terrifying scream sounded beside him. "Huh?" without being especially frightened, Ohno carefully examined the hall in darkness looking for the origin of the scream. There seemed to be an ominous aura filling the air of the hall, but he rejected the idea thinking that it was probably only a product of his imagination... or some kind of hallucination caused by his hunger.   
  
As he moved away from the staircase, he glimpsed a faint green glow coming from the hall's corridor. Ohno went through the corridor towards the kitchen where the eerie light seemed to be brighter. The strange heaviness in the air grew stronger as he got closer to the kitchen's open door. It felt as if someone were closely watching him eagerly expecting his reaction.  
  
With a creaking sound, he opened the kitchen's door completely. _"Eh? What is that weird thing floating in the middle of the air?"_ he asked himself with curiosity looking at the small, green light that was slowly and lightly moving through the air.  
  
Ohno slowly approached the light to examine it closer. The eerie light seemed to shiver with hesitance and began to flee from him with an erratic movement. Ohno quickly chased after it dodging the wooden table and the chairs that got in his way. He was so interested in the strange light that he shrugged off the new loud scream that sounded just behind him.  
  
When the light was almost within his reach, a wave of something he could only describe as a feeling of deep disbelief and furious disappointment hit him coming from the strange aura. And all of sudden, he stopped feeling the aura and the green light disappeared, leaving him completely in darkness in the kitchen. Ohno pensively scratched his head and looked around him.  
  
After waiting a few minutes in silence for the screams to recur or the light to reappear, he shrugged his shoulders and rubbed his arms again trying to warm them. _"The best thing I can do is to return to my bed,"_ he decided yawning.  
  
After some failed attempts, Ohno succeeded at lightening a candle and returned to his bedroom. From the shadows, a pair of furious eyes followed his movements until he disappeared through the kitchen's door.


	4. Chapter 4

_"I can't believe he didn't even blink when I screamed beside him... it was almost inside his ear!"_ Nino walked furiously around the room remembering last night's events. _"Was he asleep?... Or is he deaf?"_  
  
He looked around the room decorated in soft yellow and orange shades searching for something to hit. Then he frowned with fury and made the door of the oak wardrobe close with a loud bang. _"And his reaction to the lights?... What was he thinking?... Did he believe he was hunting for a green ... and ENOURMOUS firefly?"_ he snorted infuriated. _"As soon as he returns I'll try something different. Let's see if he can maintain his cool then."_  
  
~~  
  
Ohno strolled in the small village situated at the bottom of the hill enjoying the views and the sunny weather. Last night, in spite of the noises and the strange events, he had been able to rest completely, restoring his depleted energies. That morning, he had woken up in a very good mood though he was really hungry. After he had taken a shower and had gotten dressed, he had decided to go to the near village to have breakfast and to buy the things he needed to live in the old house.  
  
"Is he the new owner of the Haunted Mansion, mom?" a little child asked his mother when he passed in front of the post office. The woman ordered the boy to shut up in a whisper, smiled ashamed at Ohno and quickly left, dragging her son behind her.  
At that moment he noticed that the village's people seemed to be observing him with barely contained curiosity. However, when he looked at them, they hurriedly averted their eyes. He shrugged his shoulders and entered in the village's little grocer's shop.  
  
"Good morning," he greeted the shop assistant as he entered the shop. While Ohno searched for the things he wanted to buy, the woman behind the counter observed him unable to hide her interest. After spending several minutes pondering if he should buy some candles or not, Ohno went to the counter.  
"E-Excuse me, are you the new owner of the old house on the top of the hill?" she stammered.  
"Yes, I arrived last night," he smiled at her putting his shopping on the wooden counter.  
"And... eh... have you noticed anything strange there?" the woman looked at him with uncertainty and began to empty the basket.  
"Huh?"  
"Perhaps nobody has warned you about it yet," she said looking around furtively, "but that house is haunted! An evil ghost lives there and chases away anybody who dares to enter the mansion!" she sighed dramatically. "Everyone who has tried to live in the house has finally ended up running away. Some of them endured it for a long time, but eventually they fled telling horrific stories about disturbing noises, screams, strange lights, things that fall on their own..."  
  
The woman feigned a shudder and waited expectantly for Ohno's reaction. When he didn't react to her words, she resumed her story after a few seconds of hesitation. "It has been this way since long ago. My grandfather told me once that, when he was young, he and his friends decided to sleep one night in the house, as a test of courage, you know how it is. That night, they were suddenly awakened by a loud scream and then... the pieces of furniture began to move on their own!. They escaped hurriedly and promised to never return again to that cursed house."  
  
"Don't worry, I don't get scared easily," he nonchalantly assured her putting his shopping in some paper bags and paying the bill.  
The woman looked at him with suspicion, "You don't believe me, do you? Well, don't say I didn't warn you!" she snorted outraged. Then, she turned around and entered the shop's back room. Ohno blinked owlishly, surprised by the woman's vehement reaction _"I haven't said anything about not believing her, have I?"_ he thought pouting a bit, _"I have only declared that I don't get scared easily."_ He slowly set off towards the manor mumbling about people who don't listen and jump hastily to conclusions.  
  
~~  
  
Nino had thought up some tricks while he was waiting for the recalcitrant intruder's return. A bit bored of waiting, he looked though the window and saw the young man crossing the fence's gate carrying two paper bags.  
  
 _"He has returned at last!"_ he smiled evilly with anticipation, _"I'm sure he has been adequately informed by the villagers about the manor's haunted state already. I hope this new information makes him stop searching for air's currents or fireflies!"_  
  
The entrance's door opened and the young man entered carrying a pair of paper bags with food and some essential items. _"Now it's my chance!"_ Nino thought watching the intruder going towards the kitchen. Just when he was in the middle of the corridor, the ghost made all the corridor's paintings fall noisily. _"Let's get a bit more physical!"_ he raised the corners of his mouth in an expression of malevolence and carefully observed the intruder's reaction.  
  
Nino blinked once... twice... and even rubbed his eyes unable to believe what he was seeing. The young man dodged the nearest painting and calmly looked how the other paintings crashed to the floor. _"Wha- WHAAAAAAT!!"_ Nino spluttered outraged.  
  
"Isn't that a bit dangerous?" the young man asked aloud as if he was talking to himself. After that, he dodged the rest of the paintings, entered the kitchen and left the bags on the table with a sigh of relief.  
  
"Hmmmm.... hello?" the intruder hesitantly asked looking around as if he was searching for someone. "In the village, I have been told that the house is haunted..."  
  
" _Now he talks alone?... So he's not only deaf, but crazy too?"_ Nino made fun of the young man watching him fidgeting.  
  
"I think we have begun on the wrong way. Let's try again... Good morning, my name is Ohno Satoshi and I have inherited this house from my great-grandfather. Pleased to meet you," the intruder introduced himself politely.  
  
 _"Eh? Is he talking to ME!?"_ the little ghost was incredibly surprised. This was the first time that one of the intruders had acknowledged his existence - besides fleeing scared from the house - and this one had even introduced himself. _"He is definitely crazy... it's the first time I see someone introducing himself to a ghost as if he was his new house-mate!"_  
  
"Mmmmm..." the young man seemed to hesitate a bit in front of the ghost's null reaction. "I only wanted to tell you that from now on, I'm going to live here so I hope we can get along," he smiled shyly.  
 _"Cute smile..."_ Nino thought charmed. Then he realised, astonished, his own words and shook his head to clear it. _"Did I just say that?... No, I probably imagined it. Anyway, if he thinks that I'm going to let him live in MY house so easily, he's greatly mistaken!"_ the ghost frowned getting angrier by the time. He decided that next time he wouldn't be so kind with the intruder and left the kitchen throwing a few bottles onto the floor to make clear his point.  
  
"It seems that he hasn't liked the news," Ohno sighed a bit disappointed and began to pick the bottles.


	5. Chapter 5

Later that night, Nino was still fuming about the young man's reaction to his efforts. Recalling again the man's timid attempt to introduce himself, he felt surprised by the warmth the memory seemed to spread inside his chest. Nino frowned, not wanting to deal with the possible meaning of that feeling, and walked furiously around the room. _"If everything else fails, I can always lock him up in the hidden passage. I'm sure the darkness, the claustrophobia and being locked up without exit will make him more respectful!... He should start running for his life right now!"_  
  
Feeling a lot more focused, he decided that the best thing he could do was "rest" a bit. Not in vain, all that screaming and moving things had reduced his energies. Moreover, he needed to think up new tricks to use on that guy... who till the moment had proved to be a bit difficult to scare. _"Well, it doesn't matter. I'll think of it as a challenge, so it'll become infinitely more rewarding when I finally succeed!"_ he thought with an evil smile.  
  
The ghost lied down on his room's bed with a contented sigh. To tell the truth, lying down on a bed wasn't necessary for him, since he was a spirit without material body and couldn't feel if the bed was soft, hard or comfy... but he liked it anyway, to tell the truth it felt right.   
  
He closed his eyes and let his mind drift reaching a mental state similar to a trance, where he was relatively unaware of his surroundings. He didn't know why, but the last thing that came to his mind before "sleeping" was the smile of the young man.  
  
~~  
  
Nino woke up from his "slumber" with the unnerving impression that something out of the ordinary was happening. He slowly opened his eyes... to find the delicate, smiling face, with puffy cheeks and pouty lips, of his new "house-mate" only a few centimetres away from his own face.  
  
 _"EEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHH!!"_ in a reflex act, Nino abruptly moved backwards through the bedroom's wall.   
_"WHAT... what is happening here?"_ he stuttered utterly confused, with his eyes fixed on the corridor's wall wide open in surprise. _"It can't be real..."_ he shook his head, _"... I MUST have imagined THAT!"_.  
  
Wanting to make sure that he was imagining things, the little ghost glimpsed inside the room popping his head through the wall. Surprisingly enough, the young man REALLY was sleeping peacefully in his bed. He was still facing the wall but now he was frowning slightly, as if something was disturbing his slumber. _"What is this guy doing here?... and how has he managed to enter into my bedroom?"_ Nino crossed the wall and floated over the bed. _"Perhaps I forgot to put he magical barrier blocking the door this time?"_ he inquired observing the intruder's back.  
  
At that moment, the young man sighed softly and changed his posture on the bed, turning around to have his back towards the wall.  A few seconds later, he smoothed his frown and smiled a bit, showing a happy expression again. Nino stared at the intruder in stunned disbelief with his mind full of questions. _"When I began to recharge my energy he CLEARLY wasn't here... and the bedroom where he slept last night is rather far away from this one."_  
  
The ghost moved away from the bed towards the door and discovered surprised that there wasn't any magical barrier blocking it. _"Perhaps I forgot to put it last night..."_ he tried to convince himself, though he was almost positive that he had put it on the door before going to rest. When he turned around to watch the intruder again, he was shocked to find that the young man had changed his posture again into one that looked almost as if he was trying to reach for him.  
  
 _"That's definitely weird... HE is definitely weird..."_ Nino slightly shivered averting his eyes from the intruder's pouting face. After some minutes pondering the situation, Nino decided to leave the bedroom to prepare his next prank... and think about the night's strange events far away from the confusing young man.  
  
~~  
  
  
Ohno slowly woke up feeling the warmth of the sun beams on his face. With his eyes still closed, he stretched himself enjoying the relaxing feeling. He rubbed his eyes and looked around sleepily. All of sudden, he sat up and carefully inspected his surroundings with his eyes wide open in astonishment. He was in an unknown bedroom, decorated in yellow and orange shades and with a big, oak wardrobe. _"I don't remember seeing this bedroom before when I first explored the house... perhaps it's the locked room?"_   
  
He got out the bed, put his slippers on and left the bedroom to check if it really was the room he had found locked the first night. _"It's strange, I recall falling sleep in the blue bedroom... and now I'm in the locked one, which is situated far away from the other room. How did I end here?"_ he pondered walking through the corridor towards his bedroom. _"Could it be the ghost's doing?"_ he pensively scratched his chin thinking about it.  
  
He changed his clothes, and then went determined towards the kitchen in search of his breakfast. An hour later, with his stomach pleasantly full, he decided that he was going to spend that day looking for a room suitable to be his new studio.


	6. Chapter 6

_"I think I'm... sort of locked here,"_ Ohno blinked owlishly looking at the dusty red-brick wall that had appeared in front of him where a few seconds ago he could see the library. _"Definitely, exploring this secret passage hasn’t been one of my best ideas,"_ he sighed.  
  
~~  
  
 _ **Four hours before**_  
  
Ohno stopped working on his last figurine when he noticed the hungry growls that were coming from his stomach. He slowly stretched himself trying to relieve his shoulder's stiffness. Afterwards, he cleaned his hands on a ragged cloth and went to the kitchen to prepare his lunch. _“I think I’ll make cha-han today”_.  
  
He ate happily and cleaned the dirty dishes. That noon, he was thinking of exploring carefully the library that had caught his attention the first night. _"Perhaps I'll be able to find something useful about the ghost in the library,"_ he thought walking towards the library.  
  
When he opened the heavy wooden door, Ohno felt again astonished at the sight of the majestic library. He slowly walked around the room, looking with awe at the mahogany bookshelves full of volumes that covered the walls. The sunlight that entered though the big windows bathed the room in its warm light. Ohno sighed happily feeling completely relaxed. He got the nearest volume, sat in a comfy, brown leather armchair and began to read it.  
  
Four hours later, after examining some books that seemed promising, Ohno fixed his gaze in a bookshelf situated in the opposite wall, near one of the big windows. In a corner, almost hidden by the heavy, red velvet curtains, there was an old book that caught his attention.  
 _"It seems different from the other books stored in the library,"_ Ohno got the old book carefully in his hands and blew away the thick dust layer that covered it.  
At that moment, he heard a small ‘click’ immediately followed by the sound of an old and heavy door opening. The young man looked, intrigued, at the bookshelf that had slowly begun to move. When it finally stopped, the entrance of an old passage in darkness appeared in front of him.  
  
He pensively looked at the passage, pondering whether he should explore it or not. After some minutes, his curiosity grew stronger than his caution. He put the old book on a little, mahogany table and stuck his head into the dark passage. _"It's really dark. I should bring a candle or something similar to light up the path,"_ he thought trying to see the end of the passage with the scarce light coming from the library.  
  
Some minutes later, he returned to the library carrying a candle, some matches and a little bag where he had packed a sandwich in case he got hungry while he was exploring. He lit the candle and entered the passage decisively. At that moment, he heard an evil laugh followed by the sound of the wall moving behind him. He quickly turned around and tried to stop the wall, but he failed. The wall closed in front of him, leaving the young man locked in the darkness.  
  
  
~~  
  
 ** _Current time_**  
  
Ohno lit the candle again and raised it, lighting his surroundings. He was in a narrow corridor covered by dust and cobwebs. Beside him was the wall that had moved locking him. At the other side, the corridor seemed to come out onto a room in darkness. The young man cautiously walked through the corridor removing the sticky cobwebs that stood in his way. The room was rather small. There was a wooden desk with its chair, a small, leather sofa and a wooden bookshelf full of books. Everything was covered by a thick dust layer and some cobwebs.  
  
 _"I wonder what the purpose of this room was."_ Realizing that the room didn't seem to have an exit, Ohno returned to the beginning of the passage. He carefully touched the wall's rough surface searching for a crack or a bulge, something that would let him open the passage's entrance again.  
  
Half an hour later, after he had checked completely the closed wall, the rest of the corridor and the small room's walls, Ohno sighed sadly, _"The walls don't seem to have the solution."_ He entered the room and looked at the bookshelf _"The only thing I haven't revised yet is the room's furniture... perhaps another book will open the wall again,"_ he thought with hope.  
  
He took the old books out of the bookshelf... and only achieved a lot of dust, some sneezes and a pair of teary eyes. _"I'm beginning to suspect that this ghost doesn't like me too much,"_ Ohno coughed recalling the satisfied aura filled of malevolence that he felt when the wall moved locking him inside the passage. Dragging his feet, he moved near the old, wooden desk and began to search though the papers and drawers. _"Some of these papers are scores,"_ he inspected them closely, _"They had some kind of signature... but it's illegible"_.  
  
Inside the last drawer there was a little, ebony music box. Ohno tried to open it but it was locked and there was no sign of a key in the drawer. _"It's beautiful... but not really useful right now,"_ he sighed. The young man put the box again in the drawer and began to examine the desk itself, searching for some kind of mechanism that could open the door.  
  
Ohno realized that he had spent already a few hours locked in that passage when he heard his stomach growling. He glanced at the candle and noticed it was almost burnt down. _"What am I going to do now?"_ he asked himself a bit troubled, _"Should I use the remaining light to search again through the passage's walls?"_  
  
The young man put the candle on the near table, cleaned his hands on his clothes and unwrapped the sandwich he had brought with him. He sat in the old leather sofa trying not to raise too much dust and put out the candle before it burnt out completely. In the middle of the darkness, he pensively munched his sandwich. _"I should have brought an apple or some water with me,"_ he thought beginning to feel rather thirsty.  
  
 _"I don't think the ghost is really trying to harm me... it didn't feel that way when the wall moved closing the exit... but he surely wants to throw me out… and he is eager to take any chance he can get."_ He decided to wait for the ghost's next action instead of burning down completely the candle searching for an exit. Ten minutes later, Ohno was snoring lightly, completely asleep on the dirty sofa.


	7. Chapter 7

Nino was really satisfied with himself this time. _"I've been able to lock him in the secret passage!"_ he chuckled evilly remembering the surprised face… well, the almost surprised face of the young man when the wall closed in front of him. _"Though he was really slow in noticing the old book that triggers the mechanism of the passage's door. I was beginning to think I would need to give him a bigger hint,"_ he snorted.   
Four hours ago, Nino had followed the intruder into the library wondering what he could be doing there. He had observed the young man admiring the old bookshelves and choosing one of the dusty volumes to read it, sat in one of the library’s armchairs.   
  
The little ghost had decided to take advantage of that opportunity and had slightly displaced the old book in the bookshelf, sure that it would catch the young man's attention. Some hours later, when he was beginning to get really bored, the intruder had finally seemed to notice the misplaced book and had taken it, as Nino was expecting, triggering the mechanism that opened the secret door. Nino had hidden his glee with difficulty, seeing the young man looking inside the passage, and then his deception when the intruder had left the library without entering into the secret room.   
  
Luckily for him, the young man had returned to the library some minutes later, carrying a candle and a strange package, and eventually had entered the passage. Nino had laughed like a maniac when he had closed the door behind the young man leaving him locked inside the secret passage.   
  
He hastily left the library still chuckling and enjoying his triumph. However, a small part of him was a bit worried because he didn't know if he had pushed the intruder too hard this time, _"After all, I don't want to hurt anyone and that guy... what was his name again... Ohno?... isn't so annoying..."_ A few seconds later, he realized surprised his thoughts and shook vigorously his head to free it from those strange ideas.  
  
~~  
  
The ninth stroke of the old clock in the dinning-room made Nino realize that the intruder had been locked for almost two hours already. _"I've lost track of the time when I was recalling former intruders and old pranks... I wonder how that guy is dealing with his current situation..."_ he thought a bit troubled. He went to the library and walked trough the closed passage's door to check how things where going.  
  
Inside the passage in darkness, the little ghost could glimpse a little figure lying down on the old sofa... motionless. _"Has he suffered an attack or something?"_ Really worried this time, he hurriedly went towards the still figure.  
"Are you all right?" he anxiously asked the young man, in spite of his rule to never talk directly to the intruders  - only screams, howls, laughs... the normal things-  and bent down over him to check if he was still alive. The only answer he got from the intruder was a light snore followed by the creaking sound of the sofa when the young man changed his position into one more comfortable. After that the intruder kept breathing deeply and slowly, still asleep as if he hadn't any worries in the world.  
  
 _"ASLEEP?!! ... HE IS ASLEEP?!! I WASTED MY TIME AND EFFORTS LOCKING HIM INSIDE THE SECRET PASSAGE AND HE JUST FALLS ASLEEP!!_ " the ghost felt an immense fury boiling inside him and saw everything red.   
"WAKE UP! YOU TWERP!!" he yelled furiously at the innocent sleeping man and left the secret room kicking everything that got in his way, burning with rage. He crossed the library making the books fly and knocking over the furniture, still shouting incoherencies. In his haste, he didn’t realize he had moved the old book that controlled the secret passage entrance’s mechanism, leaving it open again.  
  
Ohno, who had been rudely awoken by the ghost's scream, blinked owlishly looking a bit surprised at the scarce moon light coming from the corridor. "Sorry...?" he mumbled tilting inquisitively his head. He sat up on the sofa and rubbed drowsily his eyes. _"This ghost is really bad-tempered... I don't understand what I could have possibly done to make him so angry..."_ he sighed sadly hearing all the ruckus the ghost was still making in the distance.  
  
He lit his candle again and walked through the corridor towards the open door. _"Well, he isn't so bad,"_ smiled Ohno, _"In spite of his bad behaviour, he has left the passage's door open for me."_ The young man turned on the library's lights, blew out the candle and looked around.   
"What a mess!" he inspected a bit surprised the library in disorder. A lot of books were open lying on the floor, the armchair and two tables were knocked down, and there were a lot of papers on the floor. "Well, tomorrow I'll tidy up the room," he sighed tiredly.  
  
Suddenly he sneezed and then looked at himself. _"Mmmmmm, I'm covered in dust,"_ he realized scratching his itchy head, _"Who knows for how many years has been closed that passage accumulating dust and cobwebs... Well, it's time to take a shower~!"_.  
  
In the bathroom, he put his clean change of clothes on a stool and turned the silver tap on. He waited till the water was hot enough to make steam and, with a sigh of satisfaction, hastily entered into the bathtub. Then he began to wash his sticky hair and dirty skin. _"What should I prepare for dinner?"_ he pondered whistling happily while the hot water helped him to relieve his tiredness.


	8. Chapter 8

_"I can’t believe it! He was asleep! ASLEEP!"_ Nino knocked down furiously another table in his way out of the library. _"What kind of person is he?! Is he even a human?!... because he doesn't behave like a normal one at all, that’s for sure!"_ he ferociously frowned. His rage grew even stronger when he remembered his concern about the intruder... and the young man's calm slumber in exchange for his worries, _"For God’s sake! He was sleeping in that locked room like he didn’t have any worries in the world!"_   
  
He made some corridor's paintings fall with a satisfactory loud noise, _"I can almost imagine what he was thinking,”_ and he sarcastically mimicked the young man blank expression _“‘Ah! I've been locked inside a dark passage without exit... oh my god, what am I going to do now?... mmm... perhaps sleep?’"_ However, he was secretly relieved that the man was unharmed when he had found him, though he didn't want to recognize it even to himself.  
  
Finally, when he was able to calm a bit his fury and his indignation, Nino decided to go to the library and release the intruder from the secret passage. _"I’m still doubting if I should left him locked all the night or not! To tell the truth, the idea is really tempting."_ When he entered the library, he discovered surprised that the passage's door was already open. He looked into the passage and found it empty, "Darn! Where is he now?" The little ghost exited the library and began to search for the intruder.   
  
When he was passing near the first floor's bathroom, he heard the sound of water running and someone whistling a happy tune. Nino frowned getting angry again with the intruder, _"It’s obvious he doesn’t consider me a serious threat. I wonder if I have been too soft with him... Is leaving him locked in a dark room a "soft" threat?"_ he tilted his head pondering the idea and rubbed his chin. _"Well, I don’t know and I don’t care. I’m going to end things here and now!”_ he raised his fist with renovated energies.  
  
The little ghost walked through the wall and found himself in a bathroom covered by a tick steam cloud, _"Damn it! I can't see anything inside all this steam... Aha! There he is!"_ He fathomed the intruder's figure in the shower and began to approach him slowly and menacingly, with an evil smile plastered in his face and his arms outstretched in front of him as if he was going to strangle the young man. _“You’re going to know how much of a treat I can be!! Mwahahaha!”_ Suddenly, the fog became a bit clearer and Nino got a clear view of the intruder. The young man was facing the wall with his head under the hot water… and obviously he was completely naked.  
  
When the ghost looked at the slightly tanned intruder's body under the hot water, an unexpected burning feeling spread throughout his entire body and he suffered a sudden dizziness. Although the intruder didn't seem to do a lot of sport, he had a well-toned body with firm muscles that undulated under the wet skin when the young man began to soap his hair. Nino felt his eyes bulge and his jaw drop making him look like a fish out of the water. Without even notice it, his arms fell limp at his sides.  
  
The stunned ghost admired the young man's slender body from head to toes and finally fixed his gaze in the intruder’s butt. Nino swallowed hard and slowly began to move towards his new found target with a hand unconsciously extended, all thoughts about scaring the persistent intruder already forgotten.  
  
Suddenly, the young man turned around with his eyes strongly closed and his hands still in his soaped hair.   
"Is someone there?" he asked as if he had felt the near threat.  
Nino took one step back, startled by the sudden movement, and quickly led his gaze to the intruder's inquiring face. At that moment, a few drops of water fell from the young man’s round face and began to slide down his chest. Nino‘s eyes were immediately attracted to them. His gaze followed them as they slowly run over the intruder’s abs. As the drops slid even lower, Nino’s eyes glazed over and he almost felt like it was a struggle to breathe, even as he knew he didn't really need to do it being a ghost.  
"Hello?" the young man repeated trying to clean the soap from his eyes. Ohno’s voice snapped Nino out of his trance and he felt utterly mortified when he realised what he had been doing. With his cheeks burning with embarrassment he decided that he couldn't take it anymore and hastily disappeared through the bathroom's floor just a second before the young man opened his eyes.  
  
~~  
  
Some minutes later, Nino was hidden in a remote bedroom, trying to calm himself. _"What's this feeling?"_ he touched his face and felt his skin hot, though he knew that the sensation was just a remnant from his past life as human. _"Have I felt something similar before?"_ he pondered and desperately tried to recall having a similar sensation during his 'life' as a ghost. _"No, I’m sure it’s the first time… Maybe… when I was alive?..."_ frowning with doubt he made a great effort to remember anything from the time when he was still alive but, like every time he had tried to remember his past, he couldn't recall anything, even his death. He knew he had been human before becoming a ghost, but apart from that … nothing. Therefore, the little ghost was a bit freaked out by the current situation... in reality, more than a bit.  
  
He vehemently shook his head trying to clear his thoughts and rubbed furiously his eyes to remove the scene of the shower from them... but all his attempts were futile… The image seemed to be fire-engraved in his mind. _"What was I doing?... What was I thinking?! ... I should be trying to scare him, not ogling him!"_ he muttered bitterly.   
He decided that the best course of action would be to “sleep” for a while. Maybe that way he could convince himself that all had been some kind of odd dream… maybe.  
  
Three hours later, he woke up startled noticing the intruder's presence again by his side. _"What… Again! Why is he able to find me wherever I sleep?... In the shower it looked as if he was able to notice me in some way... Is that true? Can he feel my presence?"_ Wanting to verify his idea, the little ghost floated over the bed waiting a few minutes in each side, and every time the young man changed his position on the bed to face him.  
  
 _"So he CAN notice me! It wasn't my imagination!. And his ability must be stronger when he's asleep because he seems to be able to find me in any place of the house,"_ the little ghost checked the barrier he had put before sleep and couldn't find it. _"He is really weird... and powerful too!. He's the first human who is capable to break down my magical barrier...Who are you exactly?"_ Nino frowned with his mind full of questions.  
  
The ghost observed the intruder carefully for the first time, decided to find a clue that could explain his strange powers… but after a few minutes of intense contemplation he felt irremediably enticed by the young man's face and forgot his initial purpose. The intruder had delicate, almond-shaped eyes, puffy and soft-looking cheeks and pouty, sultry lips forming a little smile. Feeling an overwhelming necessity to touch that gentle face, the little ghost hesitantly extended his hand and slowly passed his fingers over the intruder's lips, caressing them lightly. He felt slightly disappointed, though not really surprised, when he couldn't felt their softness. _"Am I stupid? Why do I care!? As if I didn't know that being a ghost I can't really feel anything even if I try to touch it!"_ he angrily reprimanded himself.  
  
 _"Well, I was here first and this time he isn't going to throw me out the room!"_ he lied down on the bed and turned his back to the young man, completely decided to ignore him. Purposely, he began to check all the tricks and pranks that he had used with previous intruders and just when he was about to fell asleep, he remembered a particular trick that he hadn't used with this intruder yet.   
"Possession..." he murmured.


	9. Chapter 9

Nino couldn’t rest at all that night. At first, when he had decided to use the possession trick to get rid of the recalcitrant intruder, it had seemed a wonderful idea… but the more he looked at the innocent, childish face of the young man that slept peacefully at his side, the more he doubted about using it with him. Moreover, since the young man had appeared in his bed (again!), his attention had been inevitably drawn to him. Annoyed for not being able to concentrate properly, he finally decided to leave the room and to spend the rest of the night in the library, far away from the man’s confusing presence.   
  
_"To tell the truth, I'm not sure yet if I should use the possession or not,"_ he slowly paced back and forth across the room, _"This trick consumes a lot of energy, what it’s always annoying because I’ve to spend at least three days “sleeping” after playing it… Besides I’ve always hated the feeling of being confined in the body of a complete stranger..."_   
  
His tired mind chose that exact moment to recall the shower scene for the untempth time that night, making him lost his line of thoughts and blush intensely. _"Stop that!"_ he reprimanded himself, feeling mortified once again by his inappropriate reaction in front of the intruder's naked body.   
  
He resumed his pace and returned to his original thoughts trying to make a decision. _"But then again, I've tried everything but that to scare him… and so long nothing has worked,"_ he pensively scratched his head. _"Maybe if he finds himself unable to control his own body, he will finally get scared and will leave the house,"_ he thought a bit doubtful, _"... perhaps this is the only way."_  
  
Actually, the little ghost had begun to feel insecure about the idea of throwing the intruder out of his house. The more he pondered on the idea the less he liked it. _"He's not so bad, is he? Most of the time, like when he's in his studio painting, I didn't even know if he's in the house or not... and he's really friendly..."_ he couldn’t suppress a smile when he recalled how the young man had politely introduced himself in the kitchen some days ago. "... and...and he's sort of... cute and ...well, kinda hot," he involuntarily murmured. _"Did I say that? No, no, no! Anyway, why am I still doubting? He's an offence to my professionalism as a ghost. This is a matter of honour and I don't want him living in MY house! I must do it!"_ He resolutely ignored the little voice that told him he was trying to lie to himself.  
  
~~  
  
The ghost found the intruder in his studio, decorating a little, resin figurine with odd face and big lips. Nino slowly moved beside him and observed with curiosity how the young man’s hands steadily worked on the small figurine. Five minutes later, the little ghost blinked repeatedly and shook his head trying to release himself from the mesmerizing spell that those beautiful and slender hands had woven on him.   
_"Ehhh... What was I doing?"_ he asked himself a bit confused after his momentary distraction. _"Yes, scaring him… using the possession trick,"_ he remembered.   
  
Looking at the concentrated face of the young man, he noticed his doubts slowly arising once again. Feeling utterly annoyed with himself for his indecision, he quickly moved to overlap his ethereal body with the intruder's body before he could change his opinion. The young man's eyes widened with a shocked expression and his body got totally stiff. _"Now I must control him,"_ the ghost carefully began to impose his will on the intruder's mind, but suddenly, a bright light blinded him and he was abruptly thrown out from Ohno's body.   
  
_"What?! This had never happened before when I tried to posses someone!"_ the little ghost was shaking his head in disbelief when he heard a loud noise behind him. He quickly turned around and found the young man lying like a broken doll on the floor, his eyes closed and his face dangerously pale.  
 _"God! Di-did I kill him?... But possession is just an inoffensive trick… It shouldn’t have made any harm to him… What has happened?"_ Nino rushed to the intruder's side and hover worriedly over the silent figure. He sighed relieved when he noticed the young man's deep respiration, _"He seems to be just unconscious… What a relief! But why is he so pale?”_ Still anxious about the young man’s welfare, he extended his hand to touch his forehead, but stopped midway remembering the futility of his act. He worriedly looked at him biting his lower lip. _“I’ll wait here to see if he's all right when he wakes up… only to be sure,"_ he finally decided.  
  
~~  
  
A few minutes later, the intruder's respiration changed its pace and his eyes began to flutter lightly. _"Good! He seems to be regaining his consciousness,"_ the little ghost smiled relieved looking at Ohno's face, _"And he isn't so pale anymore. I’ve been worrying for nothing. I should leave the room before he wakes up completely."_ He left the young man’s side and went towards the nearest wall.  
  
"... Hello"  
  
Nino stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned around to look at the intruder. The young man was sat on the floor, rubbing his head softly, and looking his direction with a slightly interrogative expression on his face. No, not ‘his direction’… him, the man was looking directly **_at him_**. Nino felt his body stiffen with surprise. That couldn’t be possible… he was a ghost! He slowly tried to move away from Ohno's line of vision, but the young man’s gaze followed him without hesitation.   
  
"You’re the ghost, aren’t you? What's your name?" the intruder looked at him with curiosity.  
"Y-you... can see me?" the ghost finally asked astonished.  
"Perfectly..." Ohno smiled at him, "... and I can see the wall behind you too." The young man stood up and held out his hand to him as if it was the most natural thing in the world, "My name is Ohno Satoshi."  
Open-mouthed, Nino fixed his stupefied gaze in Ohno and held out his own hand in an automatic response to the young man's extended hand.  
"Ninomiya Kazunari," he heard himself answering.  
  
When Nino’s ethereal hand went through Ohno’s hand, they both felt a warm tickling sensation where they bodies overlapped. The young man hastily moved away his hand and remained staring at it with an astonished expression, then he raised his gaze and watched the ghost's shocked face.  
"Have you felt that?" he whispered amazed.   
"Yes," Nino nodded bewildered, with his eyes still fixated in his own hand and his mind blank.


	10. Chapter 10

**Ohno's diary**  
  
 _8th July:  
Today has been a very special day. This morning, when I was decorating my latest resin figurine, I suddenly felt very strange and awfully dizzy. I think I probably fell unconscious to the floor because the next thing I knew was that I was laying near my work desk. And the oddest thing was that when I woke up and opened my eyes, I saw him: small, thin, with dark hair and furtive eyes. I greeted him and he seemed to be extremely surprised when he realized that I could see him. I must say that his shocked expression was quite endearing… and his stunned face when we both felt that strange tinkling sensation while shaking hands was even cuter. I was really curious and wanted to know more about him (after all it doesn’t happen everyday that you are able to see the ghost that live in your house) but he could only gave me his name: Ninomiya Kazunari. He is sure that he had been a human before his death, but he doesn’t remember anything of his past life.   
  
14th July:  
Ninomiya or Nino, like he likes to be called, is still mystified by the fact that I'm able to see him. He has told me about his 'Last Chance To Scare The Intruder (that's me)' and the strange effects that his trick has had. It seems that he had used this trick on other intruders before, but never with this result. He keeps touching my face or my hands with light shy touches and, every time, his eyes widen with surprise when both felt that warm sensation.   
  
16th July:  
Today I have woken up with Nino sleeping beside me. I was surprised but he has told me that this has happened a few times already, and usually it's me who sleep-walk to the room where he is resting. I remember having woken up in other rooms instead of mine before, so perhaps this is the reason... well, I don't really mind waking up with him by my side.  
  
4th August:  
Nino has become really friendly now and insists in calling me Oh-chan. He usually spends his time chatting or playing with me, and when I'm working in my studio, he lets me concentrate in my art and keeps me company. Moreover, now that he has gotten used to interact with me, he has shown his mischievous side again: he enjoys playing jokes on me and likes to touch my butt by surprise. I think he thinks of it as a game or perhaps he has some kind of obsession with it... and he blatantly ignores me when I ask him to stop!... Well, to tell the truth it’s not like I really mind, the sensation isn't unpleasant and I like his impish smile and his happy (but evil) laugh when he succeeds in pranking me.  
_  
  
~~  
  
Ohno woke up feeling refreshed and stretched his arms lazily. When he slowly opened his eyes, he found the little ghost sleeping beside him. Ohno smiled drowsily. He had gotten used to the ghost's presence and didn't question anymore why he was there or who had moved in the night to sleep beside the other one.   
He took the chance to observe the ghost's face carefully. He had delicate features, pale skin - well, he was dead after all -, long and black eyelashes and soft lips. Ohno slowly extended a hand towards Nino and gently caressed his cheek, smiling widely when the asleep ghost leaned a bit on his touch like a contented cat.   
  
Some minutes later, Nino slowly opened his eyes to find Ohno smiling and looking at him with his head resting on his left hand.  
"Good morning!" the young man greeted him.  
"Hmmm?"  
"Go-oood... moor-niiiing!" Ohno hummed merrily and poked the ghost playfully.  
Nino laughed happily and hastily floated far away from Ohno's reach. Ohno scrunched his face to show his discontent, glared at the laughing ghost and finally stuck out his tongue at him.  
  
  
~~  
  
Nino stealthily popped his head in Ohno's studio trying to avoid being detected. He smiled evilly when he saw the young man intensely focused in his painting. Those were the best moments to attack him.   
  
Since the day of the possession trick, the young man had become more and more skilful in detecting him. Likewise, his latent powers seemed to have intensified greatly too.  
  
Nino recalled the conversation they had had that eventful day about Ohno's latent powers:   
_"Perhaps it's something related with my ancestors being priests in the past," Ohno had mumbled thoughtfully.  
"Priests? What kind of priests?" the ghost had asked with curiosity.  
"I'm not really sure, but once my mother told me about it. She said that our family came from a powerful and famous lineage of priests. In the past, some of them were responsible for the spiritual welfare of the Emperor and his family, and they made significant exorcism ceremonies related to evil spirits endangering them. Others were clairvoyant and were able to see the future. They gave advice to the Emperor in important country related matters."  
"THAT must be the reason I couldn’t scare you!" had exclaimed the ghost excitedly.  
"But that happened centuries ago... and my mother didn't tell me anything about my family having powers nowadays..." the young man had said insecure.  
The little ghost had dismissed his weak protests and doubts. After all, he was an experienced ghost with years of success backing him… It was obvious that the problem behind the failure of his tricks must have been in the other person, wasn’t it?_  
  
Returning to the present moment, Nino fixed his gaze in Ohno with the intensity of a predator. He slowly approached him through the floor, with only the top of his head visible. Strangely enough, the menacing tune of a shark’s movie he had seen years ago, keep sounding inside his head.   
Ohno, completely engrossed in his painting, didn't seem to notice him. Nino's smile widened broadly resembling that movie's shark grin.   
  
Suddenly, Ohno turned around with his eyes full of suspicion, but it was too late: Nino's hand had reached his butt and was groping it enthusiastically.  
"Nino!" the young man protested loudly.  
The little ghost laughed evilly, delighted with his success, and left the room with the young man's disapproving gaze fixed on him.  
  
~~  
  
That day, Nino had convinced Ohno that it would be much more enjoyable to spend the afternoon watching an old horror film with him, than working in his latest painting. That type of films was quite boring in Ohno’s opinion, but Nino seemed to enjoy them a lot. They were gathering the things in the living room - a beer and some snacks to keep Ohno awake at least till the hero’s blonde brainless girlfriend was kidnapped by the monster - when the doorbell rang.   
  
“Who could it be at these hours?” Nino asked a bit surprised.  
“No idea. I wasn’t expecting anybody,” Ohno hurried towards the hall when he heard the doorbell ringing again.   
  
"Good afternoon," Ohno greeted the old man dressed in a black robe that was in front of his door.  
"Good afternoon. I'm the village's priest. I'd like to ask you some questions if you don’t mind."  
"Ehh... all right. Please come in."  
Ohno let the priest enter in the house and led him to the living room where Nino was waiting with an expression of curiosity in his face.  
  
"Well, I'd like to ask you if you have had some kind of problem settling in our village," the priest asked with a face slightly troubled.  
"No, everybody has been really kind and helpful with me since my arrival," Ohno answered offering a glass of water to the priest.  
"Thanks. I'm glad to know it... and did you have any other kind of problems?" he looked furtively around him with a hint of  apprehension in his gaze.  
"Other kind of problems?" Ohno looked at the man with a puzzled expression.  
  
Nino, bored and slightly annoyed by the priest’s interruption, chose that moment to make an experiment. He had been wondering if the strange sensation he felt whenever he touched Ohno, would happen too if he touched other people.  
He slowly approached the old man and tentatively touched his arm but he didn't feel anything. A bit worried, he hastily extended his hand towards Ohno's and smiled relieved when he felt again that warm sensation, _"So, it only happens with Oh-chan?"_  
  
The conversation kept flowing with the priest's vague questions about the possible existence of vengeful ghosts in the house, and Ohno's answers reassuring him that he hadn't had any problems.  
  
 _"Well, that's because you has never gotten scared by my pranks not because I haven't tried,"_ Nino thought a bit bothered. Suddenly, an idea popped in his head and he smiled mischievously.  
  
He situated himself behind the priest and began to make funny and mocking faces at Ohno, who looked at him for a few seconds with a bright glint in his eyes but didn't change his expression at all. The little ghost frowned and decided to play more seriously.   
With an impish smirk plastered on his face, he menacingly approached Ohno. He blatantly ignored the warning glare the young man gave him, and began to molest him quite enthusiastically. Ohno squirmed slightly but didn't make any other sign of discomfort in front of the priest. Nino's smile widened mockingly and groped Ohno’s butt again.  
  
Some minutes later, the conversation with the priest finished - speeded up by an uncomfortable Ohno - and the old man left the house.   
Ohno hastily turned around to look angrily at Nino. The little ghost was laughing so hard that he seemed to have problems to even float in the air.  
"Nino! Don't you ever do that again!"  
The little ghost could only laugh louder in front of Ohno's furious pout and his adorable frown.  
  
When Ohno finally forgave Nino, who was still chuckling secretly to himself, they sat in front of the TV to watch the promised movie.   
Suddenly, the telephone rang.


	11. Chapter 11

Ohno took a little sip of his champagne glass and sneezed when the bubbles tickled his nose. He looked around with interest and felt rather proud seeing his art works displayed and admired by the public. The Exhibition Hall was full of people; some of them were art critics, others were potential buyers, and the rest were important guests invited by Matsumoto-san.  
  
Sho-kun, his best friend since kindergarten, approached him holding a champagne glass and munching some canapés.   
"Everything is going perfectly!" he smiled broadly at him, "I told you, didn't I?"  
"Yeah," Ohno answered with a smile recalling their conversation by telephone last week.  
  
 _"Hello, could I speak with Ohno-san?"  
"Ohno-san? It's me... Sho?"  
"Hi! Satoshi! I'm so relieved I’ve been able to find your new telephone number! I thought I had lost it when I lost my phone."  
"Hi Sho! It's been a while, right? I was wondering why I hadn’t heard anything about you recently. How is everything going?"  
"Work is the same as always, nothing has really changed in the office. Anyway, how are you? How is your new house?"   
"I'm fine. My great-grandfather's house is in great condition and I can spend all day painting and modelling without worrying about looking for a job."  
"That's great! I'm so happy to know that you're working in your art!"  
"Eh?"  
"The thing is that an acquaintance of mine, Matsumoto Jun, has recently opened a new gallery, but there have been some problems with the artist appointed for the Big Opening and now he's searching for a new artist. I've showed him some of your artworks and he's really interested in them. Would you be interested in replacing the former artist? What do you say?"  
"Making an exhibition of my art works!?"  
"Yes! I think it's a great opportunity for you! The only problem is that the opening is supposed to be next Sunday..."  
"Next Sunday! That leaves only a week to prepare the exhibition…"  
"Yes, but I'd help you, and Jun will willingly put all his workers at your disposal to get everything ready for that day!"  
"Hmmm... I don't know Sho... I'm not sure...Do you think it's possible for me to do an exhibition?"  
"What are you saying, Satoshi? This is your chance to make your dreams come true! And your art it's outstanding! Jun himself said it and he knows a lot of renowned artists, you know?"  
"... Ok! I'll go!"  
"Great! I'll be waiting for you! Bye Satoshi!"  
"Bye bye, Sho."  
_  
~~  
  
Ohno and Sho were talking about the exhibition when a young, tall and handsome man approached them with a camera.   
"Hello! Jun-tan has told me that now would be the best moment to take some photos for the journal! So, can I take some photos of you near those little figurines?" he asked enthusiastically.  
"Eh?" Ohno mumbled a bit overwhelmed by the newcomer eagerness.  
"Yes, yes! A photo of the sensational new artist who has been recently discovered by Jun-tan!... Ouch!" the young man yelped pained and turned around rubbing his head to see who had smacked him.   
"Masaki! Didn't I warn you not to harass my guests?" Mastumoto Jun appeared behind the young man with a bothered expression in his face.  
"But... but... Jun-tan," he young man whined trying to explain himself.  
"But nothing! And I have told you million of times not to call me Jun-tan in public," the young man with the elegant smoking hissed at him.  
Then he faced Sho and Ohno who were looking at him astonished.  
"Please, forgive his rude behaviour," he politely asked them, "He's Aiba Masaki, the journalist who is covering the opening of the gallery and my friend." Aiba waved at them behind Jun.  
Sho and Ohno nodded still a bit surprised.  
  
After that, Aiba took some photographs of Ohno with his art pieces and interviewed him briefly. When they finished with the interview, the four men kept talking amicably near a table full of canapés. Twenty minutes later, Jun apologized and left them, followed by Aiba, to talk with a couple who had just entered the hall.   
  
Suddenly, Sho's mobil rang.   
"Ah! It's my boss!" Sho exclaimed when he looked at the number displayed in his phone's screen, "Excuse me for a moment, Satoshi!" he apologized and hastily left the noisy hall to answer the call.  
  
While waiting for Sho's return, Ohno left his champagne glass on the table and loosened a bit his grey tie, letting out a sigh of tiredness. Though the past days had been incredibly exciting, he had to admit that he had felt a bit lonely without the little ghost's company. He had missed Nino's smile and snarky comments during his meal breaks and specially when he was alone in his hotel room at night, dead-tired trying to finish all the preparations in time for the opening day. He frowned a bit recalling Nino's sour mood after Sho's call… and by the time he had had to leave the house to travel to the city, he could swear that the little ghost had seemed to be almost sulking about the whole thing. He didn't understand the reason behind that sudden change of mood, but whishing to make Nino feel happier, he had bought him some old horror movies as a present.   
  
A loud laugh snapped him out of his thoughts and made him look at one corner of the exhibition hall, where Jun was smacking Aiba's head again scolding him for being noisy. Aiba ducked his head and apologized quite loudly, which earned him another well-aimed smack. The couple had an air of unmistakable intimacy and the little gestures between them made Ohno suspect that they were more than good friends. Someway, that thought made him ponder about his relationship with Nino... Why had he missed the little ghost so much?... Why, in spite of Sho keeping him company during his stay in the city, had he found himself thinking about Nino's bright smile or Nino's happy laugh?... _Why did he longed for Nino's presence by his side so badly?_  
  
~~  
  
Nino was bored. Really, really bored… and a bit worried too. He didn't like the heavy feeling that had been pestering him since Ohno's departure, like the premonition of something terrible waiting around the corner. He slowly floated up the stairs searching for something that could keep him entertained while he waited for Ohno's return, something that could let him forget that bad feeling that seemed to be stuck in the back of his mind.   
  
His mood had become more and more sour with each passing day, and he was rather bothered with the fact that nothing had been able to catch his attention since Ohno had left the house. There was nobody whom he could prank, nobody with whom he could play... nobody to whom he could talk. He didn't know what to do with his time and didn't understand how he had spent his time before Ohno's arrival. That was when he realised how attached to the young man he had become, and how unbearably lonely he had been all these years.   
He wandered gloomily the first floor's rooms and finally entered in Ohno's bedroom. He looked around the tidy room missing the young man's presence, and laid down on Ohno's bed with a sigh.   
"Who is that Sho-kun, anyways?" he sulked, recalling the phone call that had made Oh-chan leave. When he had asked the young man about it, he had told him that he was an old friend of his. The call had been about something related to an exhibition with Ohno's art pieces.   
  
The little ghost felt again that annoying little pang of jealousy remembering how Oh-chan's face had lightened up talking about his friend and the possibility to display his paintings and figurines. Two days after that (damned) call, the young man had left the house to prepare the exhibition. He hadn't seemed to notice the ghost's grumpy mood and sad face when he had said goodbye to him waving excitedly.  
  
"If someday I have the chance to meet that person, I’m going to make sure that he regrets making that damned call!" Nino swore sinisterly.   
Some minutes later his face brightened a bit remembering that Oh-chan had promised him to return in a week, in fact, he should be returning home tomorrow morning. "I should prepare some surprises before his arrival. Something to make him pay for leaving me alone!" he thought with an evil smile.   
  
Suddenly, the string that kept hanged in the wall a small Aztec calendar - that Ohno had always said that brought him luck – broke and the calendar crashed against the floor, breaking into little pieces.  
  
Nino gasped and suppressed a shiver, his worried gaze fixed in the little pieces. He couldn’t help but feel that somehow… it was a bad omen.  
  
~~  
  
Ohno felt greatly relieved with the success of the exhibition. Jun  - he had insisted that he should call him by his name - had assured him that everything had gone perfectly. In fact, there seemed to be a lot of people interested in his art works. He had even talked about the possibility to make another exhibition in a few months.  
  
Suddenly, he felt the weight of all the nerves he had accumulated the past days, rushing the preparations to make everything perfect for that day. He smiled tiredly and said goodbye to Sho, who was talking with some acquaintances. He slowly walked to the exit of the Exhibition Hall and asked the woman in charge of the cloakroom for his gabardine.  
  
The night was cold and it was raining lightly. Ohno took a deep breath, enjoying the coldness of the night after the stuffy air of the art gallery, and decided to walk to his hotel. He put on his hat, turned up his gabardine's collar and began to walk whistling softly. He was rather happy thinking that he would see Nino tomorrow.   
  
Ohno walked down the street towards the crossing and waited till the light was red. He began to cross without haste and passed a young couple sharing an umbrella. He was about to reach the other side of the street when, suddenly, a car turned the corner at full speed and blinded him with its bright lights.  
The last thing he heard was the young woman's terrified scream followed by the screech of the car's brakes.


	12. Chapter 12

Nino had to admit that he was feeling slightly worried. It was already midday and Ohno hadn’t returned home yet. He nervously paced back and forth around his bedroom trying to calm his growing concern.   
  
‘Maybe the reason behind his delay is something stupid like missing the train. Being as spacey as he is, probably he has lost it and has had to wait for the next one…’ he muttered hopefully.   
  
Three hours later, Ohno hadn’t arrived home yet and Nino was more than worried, he was beginning to feel frantic. During all the week, he had had a vague hunch that something bad was going to happen… and now the feeling had returned with full force. He couldn’t erase from his mind the image of Ohno’s Aztec calendar broken on the floor.  
  
‘What’s keeping him so long? Probably he was enjoying his time with his friends so much that he forgot he promised he would come back today, and has had to take the last train!’ he exclaimed angrily and resumed his nervous pace, not wanting to recognize, even to himself, how freaked out he was.   
  
Hours later, when the sun hid behind the surrounding mountains and the sky got dark, Nino couldn’t lie to himself anymore making up excuses to explain Ohno’s delay.  
  
‘He isn’t going to return, is he?’ he muttered sadly.   
  
He had spent all day wandering around the house, getting more and more worried with each passing hour, and hoping against all odds for the entrance’s door to open and the young man to greet him smiling with his usual “I’m home,” like he always did.   
  
The little ghost slowly floated through the hall in darkness and put his hands on the front door.  
  
‘I want to go where he is… Perhaps this time…’ he murmured quietly and pushed through the closed door with hope.   
  
His hands stopped midway inside the tick wooden door, facing the mysterious barrier that had always kept him trapped inside the mansion.  
  
‘Why, why can’t be different this time?" he whispered with broken voice, a single tear rolling down his cheek. The truth was he had long realized how solitary, how empty had been his existence till he met Ohno... and the simply idea of loosing the young man scared him to the point of making him want to disappear, to vanish in the air once and for all.  
  
  
~~  
  
Nino awoke from his depressed trance hearing the sound of a car parking in front of the manor’s entrance. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around the hall lightened by the sunlight.  
  
Hearing some voices too, the little ghost realised that he hadn’t imagined the car’s sounds, and hurriedly got up from the floor and approached a window to look outside. He didn’t want to let his hopes fly high, but he couldn’t suppress a small shiver of anticipation.  
  
‘Oh-chan has come back!’ he whispered in awe. The feeling of relief was so strong that he felt almost intoxicated.  
  
‘But, why is he using a crutch? What has happened to him?’ he murmured a bit worried. Nonetheless, Nino was euphoric seeing Oh-chan slowly approaching the house’s entrance.  
  
~~  
  
Ohno opened with difficulty the car’s door and carefully put his injured feet on the ground.  
  
‘Wait a moment! Let me bring you your crutch closer!’ yelled Sho getting hurriedly out of the car. He took out the crutch behind the driver’s seat and gave it to Ohno.  
  
‘Do you want me to stay with you some days? At least till your ankle gets better,’ he asked worriedly, looking Ohno’s difficulties to get out the car.  
  
‘It’s not really necessary, Sho-kun. I know you have to finish an important project this week and my sprain isn’t that serious. I’ll be fine by myself,’ Ohno reassured him with a smile.  
  
‘If you’re sure…’ Sho answered hesitantly, still not completely comfortable with the idea of leaving Ohno alone.  
  
‘Yes, don’t worry,’ Ohno tried to keep his balance leaning on the crutch.  
  
‘I’ll call you daily,’ Sho warned him.  
  
‘Ok, I’ll be waiting for your call, mom,’ Ohno laughed.  
  
Sho smiled a bit embarrassed. After hugging Ohno goodbye, he finally got in the car and drove out the mansion’s garden.  
  
Ohno waved till Sho disappeared through the wrought-iron gates and then went towards the manor’s entrance struggling with the crutch. As soon as the young man opened the door, Nino launched himself towards him.  
  
‘Oh-chan! You’ve come back!’ the little ghost purred wrapping himself around a stunned Ohno.  
  
‘Of course I’ve come back. Why wouldn’t I?’ he asked still surprised by the ghost’s affectionate greeting.  
  
‘But you broke your promise! You didn’t return yesterday!’ Nino whined.   
  
‘Well…’ Ohno tried to explain what had happened.  
  
‘And how did the exhibition go? What has happened to your leg? Who was that man in the car?’ Nino kept asking questions to the young man without pause. _‘Did you miss me as much as I did?’_ he wanted to ask too, but he didn’t dare to say it aloud.  
  
‘Let me rest my foot first and I’ll tell you everything,’ the young man laughed weakly and sat on one of the chairs of the sitting room with a tired expression. He looked at Nino’s expectant face and sighed satisfied.   
  
‘The exhibition was a great success,’ he explained to the little ghost, ‘Art critics said that they were astonished by the incredibly quality of the art pieces. A rich couple bought three paintings and they commissioned me another one. Matsumoto-san, the owner of the gallery, was delighted with the exhibition success and talked to me about doing another one in six months.’  
  
Nino smiled proud of him, ‘And your leg? he asked pointing at Ohno’s ankle’s bandages.  
  
‘The last night, I was returning to my hotel when a car appeared out of nowhere and almost run over me. Fortunately I was able to dodge it, but I slipped and fell to the ground, hitting my head and spraining my ankle. The hit knocked me out,’ he laughed a bit embarrassed.  
  
‘But you dodged the car!’ Nino reassured him, patting his head soothingly.  
  
‘After that, the doctors insisted to keep me under observation for 24 hours… That’s why I couldn’t come back sooner,' he explained with an apologetic smile. ‘You know, I missed you terribly during this week,’ Ohno added, and leaned to open his suitcase without noticing the shocked face of the little ghost. ‘I have a present for you~,’ he commented cheerfully rummaging through the suitcase’s contents.  
  
The young man got really surprised when Nino hugged him without a word.  
  
‘What's the matter?’ he asked a bit worried.  
  
‘Nothing, it’s just… I missed you too,’ Nino murmured softly.  
  
Ohno smiled and patted the little ghost’s head affectionately.  
  
~~  
  
‘A package from my great-grandfather’s lawyer has arrived. I wonder what it contains...’ Ohno closed the entrance’s door, trying to keep his balance with the crutch, the package and the bag full of food that the delivery boy has just left in his hands.   
  
Nino shrugged his shoulders and floated beside him towards the kitchen. Since the accident, the little ghost had refused to leave Ohno’s side even for a single minute. The young man had had to talk really seriously with him to prevent Nino from being present when he bathed - what he didn’t know was that the stubborn ghost kept stealthy spying on him through the farthest bathroom’s wall to avoid being detected.   
  
‘Mmmm? Where are the scissors?’ Ohno asked rummaging through the kitchen’s drawers.  
  
‘I think you left them in your studio,’ the ghost reminded him.  
  
Ohno went up the stairs and entered his studio. After several minutes rummaging through the drawers of his worktable, he finally found the scissors under a pile of cloths he had been using to decorate his figurines.  
  
In the way back to the kitchen, he was chatting animatedly with the ghost when he suddenly tripped and began to fall down the stairs. Nino tried to hold him instinctively, but his hand passed through Ohno’s arm. Fortunately, thanks to Ohno’s quick reflexes, the young man was able to stop his fall grabbing desperately the marble banister.   
  
He sighed with relief and tried to calm his heart’s fast beating. Seconds later, he turned around rubbing his pained hip, a bit surprised by the ghost’s lack of response. As soon as he saw Nino’s stiff figure, he knew that something was wrong.  
  
‘Nino?’ he asked with worry, going up the stairs to face the little ghost.  
  
Nino didn’t answer, he kept looking at the space with a blank face and didn’t seem to notice that Ohno was standing in front of him.  
  
‘Nino? What’s the matter?’ he passed a hand in front of Nino’s face without getting any response.  
  
‘Nino?... NINO!’ he yelled terrified by the ghost’s strange behaviour.   
  
He desperately tried to snap Nino out of his trance but his hands passed though the ghost’s body pointlessly. The ghost didn’t change his expression or make any movement that showed that he was aware in any way of his surroundings.  
  
The young man felt powerless and his eyes wetted with teary frustration.


	13. Chapter 13

He was surrounded by darkness. Nino couldn’t hear or see anything around him, and he couldn’t remember where he was or how he had arrived to that gloomy place. Suddenly, a bright light blinded him and he heard a woman’s scream behind him. He quickly turned around to see the figure of a young woman with a bright blue dress falling down the stairs towards him. Instinctively, Nino tried to stop her fall. A moment later, the view changed and he felt like he was falling.  
  
The vivid light suddenly blinded him again. When he opened his eyes, there was no trace of the woman or the stairs, everything was in darkness again and all he could hear was a sweet melody playing in the background. Nino looked around trying to determine the origin of the warm music, but he couldn’t find it.   
  
Another flash showed him the face of the young woman once more. She was dressed with a black dress whose style seemed to be from a period about three or four hundred years ago. Her bright dark hair was loose and covered partially her pale face. The young woman sat on the floor and there was a cute small wooden box in front of her. She slowly raised her head and Nino could see that she was crying. She fixed her gaze on Nino and it looked as if she was trying to tell him something, but Nino couldn’t understand her words.   
  
“...Nino”  
  
 _Was she calling his name?_  
  
“NINO!”  
  
The image faded away slowly and was replaced by Ohno’s anxious face. He was calling frantically his name and large tears were rolling down his checks. Nino blinked twice and fixed his gaze in Ohno’s watery eyes. He observed surprised how Ohno’s face changed from an expression of complete despair to one of immense joy when he realized that Nino had finally awoken from his odd trance.   
  
“You’re here again!” Ohno tried to hug the little ghost but his hands passed effortless through Nino’s body as always. Nevertheless, he laughed relieved.  
  
“What has happened, Oh-chan?” the ghost asked a bit confused.  
  
“You were gone… I mean, you were here of course, but you didn’t react to anything around you. You didn’t seem to see me or to hear me and there was nothing I could do to snap you out of your trance and, and…”  
  
“Breathe Oh-chan, I can barely understand what are you saying.”  
  
"I was so worried Nino!”  
  
Ohno’s face showed again his worry when he remembered Nino’s stiff figure and glazed eyes. He tried to hug the little ghost once more to reassure himself that everything was ok.  
“It’s not going to happen again, is it?” the young man whined.  
  
Nino smiled shyly and hugged Ohno back, “I sure hope so,” he murmured, “I didn’t enjoy the experience that much anyway.”  
  
“Do you remember anything?” Ohno asked hesitantly.  
  
“Yeah. I remember being in an enormous place surrounded by darkness, but I didn’t know how or why I had arrived there. Then I saw a woman…”  
  
“A woman?”  
  
“Yes. She was falling down the stairs… when I tried to catch her, the scene changed and it was me who was falling down the stairs…”  
  
“Mmmmmm…” Ohno scratched pensively his nose, “Perhaps your trance was triggered by my fall…” he guessed.  
  
“Maybe that was the trigger, but that doesn’t explain the melody I heard or why I saw the same woman again, this time seated in front of a little music box.”  
  
“Did you recognize the music or the woman?”  
  
“I didn’t recognize the melody, but I think I‘ve seen the woman before. She was one of the intruders who tried to live in the house long time ago, but I don’t remember too much about her… I suppose it’s not really important,” the little ghost shrugged his shoulders dismissing the memory.  
  
“Mmmm... if you’re sure,” mumbled Ohno, not entirely convinced about it.   
  
“Let’s forget it for now. Don’t you want to open your package?” Nino smiled at the young man, “But, please, be more careful this time when you go down the stairs," he warned him.  
  
~~  
  
After some struggling with the package‘s wrapping, Ohno finally was able to open it. Inside he found a smaller package and a letter from his great-grandfather’s lawyer.  
  
 _Dear Mr. Ohno  
  
I write you regarding the last clause in your great-grandfather’s will.   
He stipulated that this package should be sent to you if you fulfil the following conditions:  
\- You must have lived in the house at least during three months without significant absences.   
\- You must be still living in the house four months after you inherit it.  
  
I’m glad to inform you that those conditions had been completely fulfilled. Therefore I hand you over the last possession of your great-grandfather.  
  
Yours sincerely  
  
Mr. Robinson_  
  
Ohno finished to read the lawyer’s letter and took the small package in his hands.   
  
“What do you think it contains?” he asked measuring its weight.  
  
“I don’t know, but I suppose that the best way to know it it’s opening it,” answered Nino, shrugging his shoulders.  
  
Ohno carefully opened his great-grandfather’s package. Inside there were some documents, a letter from his great-grandfather addressed to him and a thick old book that looked like a diary.  
  
“I think I should read my great-grandfather’s letter first…” Ohno said opening the letter.   
Nino sat in front of him waiting impatiently for the young man to begin to read the letter aloud.  
  
  
 _Dear Satoshi  
  
If you are reading this letter it means that you have satisfied the last conditions of my will. Perhaps, what I am going to tell you now turns out to be a big surprise for you, but I sincerely hope that this was not the case. There is an old debt that our family must pay and I think that only you will be able to do it._  
  
  
“Do you know what is he talking about?” asked Ohno.  
  
“Please Oh-chan be serious, why should I know?”   
  
  
_I will start to explain myself from the beginning.  
  
Since I was young, I had a strange power that let me feel other people’s aura and also let me see little glimpses of the future. Well, it was nothing really important, sometimes a short scene, others a music, and most of the times a feeling that compelled me to do something.   
  
Trying to find an explication to this power, I began to research about the past. I spent a big part of my life searching information about our family tree and the story of its different members. I finally found my powers’ origin when I learnt about our family former duty with the Emperor.   
  
The power of prediction was one of many that our family had in those ancients times, when they were the Emperor advisors. Other powers, like the ability to deal with ghost that let us protect the Emperor from spiritual threats, had disappeared long time ago… or that was what I thought till one day.  
  
I was passing near a park and by chance I met your mother. You know that years before your birth, there was a big rift between her branch of the family and the main branch. Her branch of the family left the main house, but she was still living in the same city. She was accompanied by a three years old boy. I politely greeted her and resumed my walk, but I couldn’t deny the powerful aura that I had felt in the little child.   
  
Yes, that child was you. You had inherited the ancient ability of our family to deal with ghost. I was really surprised to find someone with that old power, and felt elated to know that this power hadn’t disappeared completely from our family blood, though I doubted it could have any utility in these days._  
  
  
“See? See?, I told you that your powers were the reason of your poor reaction in front of my wonderful pranks!” Nino exclaimed smugly.  
  
Ohno rolled his eyes and sighed, but couldn’t hide a little smile.  
  
  
 _Many years later, I fell ill and had to spend my time in bed. One day, I was arranging the documents I had accumulated in my search when I found an interesting manuscript about one of our ancestors. It was an old diary of a young woman from four centuries ago.  
  
In that diary, the woman mentioned a surprising fact related with the house that you have inherited. While reading the diary, I had a powerful premonition that made me order my lawyer to find any information about the house mentioned in it.   
  
I discovered that the house had belonged to our family a long time ago. My lawyer also informed me about the village’s rumours about the house being haunted. And that’s exactly what I had been waiting to find. Because in our ancestor diary, the young woman talked about a man with whom our family is greatly indebted.   
  
That man lost his life in order to save the life of our ancestor._  
  
  
Ohno looked at Nino surprised.  
  
“Don’t look at me! I don’t remember anything of that,” the little ghost said shaking his head confused.  
  
  
 _After knowing this, I sensed the heaviness of the debt our family had contracted with this person. It was necessary to repay this enormous debt, but how?  
I immediately thought of you. You were the only one in our family with the power to deal with ghost, not only to dispel them by force if necessary, but to give them the opportunity to finally rest in peace.  
_  
“You aren’t thinking of making me disappear, are you?” Nino said looking at Ohno warily.  
  
“Of course not!” the young man protested, “… only if you become too obnoxious!” he joked laughing.  
  
Nino stuck out his tongue at him.  
  
 _But there was a problem, I was not sure if you were aware of your powers or not… and I was running out of time, because my health was getting worse day by day. I made the necessary arrangements for my lawyer to buy the house and changed my will to let you inherit the house and money to live without problems._  
  
I thought that if you were able to live in the house during a long period of time, you would surely notice the ghost presence and perhaps, that would make you aware of your dormant powers, so I stipulated some conditions before this information was send to you.  
  
Satoshi, I wish that all this information was useful. I put my hopes in you. Please repay the great debt of our family with that person.  
  
  
“That’s all,” Ohno said putting the letter on the floor, “So… are you ready to know more about your past?” he asked the little ghost taking the old diary in his hands.


	14. Chapter 14

_24th May, year 1632:  
  
I’ve decided to begin this diary to commemorate this memorable day.   
Today, my childhood friend, Kazunari Ninomiya or Nino as I like to call him, asked for my hand in marriage!! I was so surprised!   
  
Our families have been neighbours for more than a hundred years and we’ve known each other since we were kids. We spent our childhood together, playing, studying and pranking our teachers. As years passed, I felt more and more interested in art, specially paintings and sculptures. Nino, on the other hand, slowly became attracted to music and finally become a composer. I don’t even remember how many evenings we’ve spent together, Nino composing a new melody in the piano while I was entranced in my last painting.  
  
We’re best friends and I’ve always thought of him as a brother, but I’d have never suspected that he was in love with me!  
  
This morning, he appeared in front of my house’s door, dressed with his best clothes and holding an exquisite small wooden box in his hands. When I asked him what was the box for he told me that it was a present and asked me to open it.   
  
When I opened the box I heard a wonderful and warm melody and inside the box I found an elegant ring. He took the ring from the music box and put it on my finger with a shy smile. When I looked at him surprised, he kissed softly my cheek and told me that he had composed that melody for me.   
  
After that, he nervously asked me for a meeting with my parents. I was so surprised that I accompanied him to the sitting-room where my parents were reading without saying a word. He greeted my parents and after a bit of pleasant conversation, he asked them for my hand in marriage!    
  
At first I thought that there was a joke because he has always been really fond of playing tricks, but he kept talking very seriously with my father about his proposal and eventually convinced him of his sincerity.   
  
I was still shocked when my parents asked me what do I thought about his marriage proposal. I could see that my mother was elated and my father was really happy. Turning a bit I saw Nino’s expectant and hopefully expression.   
  
I answered affirmatively.   
  
  
4th June, year 1632:  
  
After various meetings between our families, the wedding date has been decided. Ninomiya Kazunari and Ohno Sumire will get married on **16th July**.  
I feel really nervous, but everybody is really happy and Nino is so delighted that almost hurts looking at him.  
  
  
9th June, year 1632:  
  
Everybody is busy with the wedding’s preparations, specially my mother and Nino’s mother. They had hired an exclusive dressmaker to prepare my wedding dress and had bought an expensive piece of white silk to make the dress with.   
  
Nino is really excited with all the preparations, but I can’t help to doubt if we are speeding up things too much. And shouldn’t I feel happier about it? My mother keeps telling me that those are the usual nerves before the wedding… I feel confused.  
  
  
15th June, year 1632  
  
Both families had spent all the morning discussing about the wedding guest list and the paper and style of the invitations till they have reached an agreement.   
I’ve spent all day in bed affected by a terrible migraine. My mother, who sometimes came to my room to look after me, has told me that Nino has been really worried about me. I hope I’ll get better tomorrow.  
  
  
24th June, year 1632:  
  
Today Nino and I have been talking about the honeymoon. He wants to go to Paris to spend a few months there. He talks about it with great enthusiasm; going to art museums, going to the opera, watching some plays, assisting to concerts, dinning on a Seine river cruise. Since we were young and he began to get interested in music his most cherished dream has been visiting Paris.  
He looks so happy…But I keep having doubts. Do we really love each other as lovers should do? I keep thinking of him as a brother… Am I doing the right thing?    
  
  
4th July, year 1632:  
  
There’re only twelve days left to the wedding. The dressmaker has had to mend my dress a few times because I keep loosing weight, but I can’t help it, some days I can’t even eat a piece of bread and sometimes I’m so nervous that I end  vomiting everything. Nino has spent all day with me, playing gently the piano trying to make me feel better. He loves me so much… And I love him too. In twelve days I’ll be the happiest woman on earth and I swear I’ll do whatever it is in my hand to make him happy too.   
  
  
16th July, year 1632:  
  
I don’t want to write anything today, but I feel that I must to do it. I owe him that at least...  
  
Today it should have been the happiest day of my life, we should have been celebrating our wedding. Instead of that, today it’s the second worst day in my entire life, because what we’re celebrating is a funeral, my fiancé’s funeral.  
  
The most miserable day of my life was a week ago, when my fiancé, and my best friend ever, died trying to save my life. All happened in a wink, I was going down the stairs talking with him when I suddenly tripped and began to fall. Nino caught me but couldn’t stop my fall so he wrapped himself around me trying to protect me while we both were falling.  
  
When I woke up, some hours later in my bed, my mother, with her eyes red and swollen, told me the horrible news. Although I only had a small commotion and a few brushes, Nino… he had died in the fall.    
  
I haven’t been able to sleep since then and my parents have had to force me to eat something, but I always end throwing up. I feel so guilty...  
  
  
17th July, year 1632:  
  
Today I thought I was finally becoming crazy.  When I got out of my room this morning…I saw him. Nino was in front of me, it wasn’t a dream, I’m sure! I looked at him shocked and he greeted me shyly. I screamed loudly and fainted.   
  
When I woke up, my mother was sat near me, looking at me with a worried face. I told her about my vision and she got really surprised. She has talked about it with my father and they had decided to request my great-grandmother’s help.  
  
  
24th July, year 1632:  
  
I haven’t seen Nino again, but I’ve sometimes glimpsed a quick movement out of the corner of my eye. I think he’s hiding from me because I fainted last time we met. Tomorrow we expect my great-grandmother’s visit. I hope she can explain what’s happening.  
  
  
25th July, year 1632:  
  
When I told my great-grandmother about what I had seen, she frowned a bit surprised and then told us that I had probably inherited the power of dealing with ghost from my father’s side.   
  
My father’s family is really famous because they have powers that allow them to see the future, deal with ghost and other things. The most powerful members serve faithfully the Emperor.   
  
What surprised us was that nobody in our family’s branch had ever showed signs of inheriting these powers. These powers had only manifested in my great-grandmother’s brother’s branch.  
  
I don’t really care why… to think I’ll be able to meet Nino again... I feel so happy! But at the same time I dread the moment when we talk again about his death.  
  
  
26th July, year 1632:  
  
Today I have talked with him. I had to force him to appear in front of me again because he was worried about scaring me again.   
  
When we talked about his death, he has __repeatedly_ _assured me that he had never considered me responsible for it, that he would have done anything to protect me because he loves me, but I still feel extremely responsible and blame myself for his death._  
  
  
29th July, year 1632:  
  
When I’ve talked with my great-grandmother about the situation, she has told me about an ancient spell that maybe could help us. We’ve begun to search in our huge library for it.  
  
  
30th July, year 1632:  
  
 We’re so lucky! We found it!  It’s an old piece of paper, almost illegible.  
  
This spell was created long time ago by a powerful member of our family who fell in love with a ghost.  
In the old manuscript I barely could read the following words:  
  
“Spell to bring your lover back to life:  
  
Three conditions must be fulfilled:   
-    It is necessary to use something that belonged to the dead person  
-    It is necessary that the ones who use the spell are dearly in love with each other   
-    It is necessary that they recite the spell’s words  at the same time  
However, if one of these conditions were not satisfied, the spell’s failure will bring disastrous consequences: the dead person will lose all his memories, not only the ones related with his loved one, but also every recollection about his past life.”  
  
After that there were some strange words that I suppose are the ones that compound the spell and the instructions to cast the spell.  
  
My great-grandmother has also told me she had heard that the person who created this spell was successful in bringing his loved one back to life.   
  
Could this same spell bring Nino back to life?  
  
  
31st July, year 1632:  
  
I haven’t talked with Nino about the spell yet. I know it seems the answer of all our problems… but I’ve doubts about how everything will turn out and I dread the consequences. I love Nino dearly but… do I love him as a lover? Or do I love him as a brother?  
  
Nevertheless I acceded to marry him and it’s my fault that this terrible nightmare has happened. I’ve no other choice. Tomorrow I’ll talk with him about the spell.  
  
…  
…  
  
5th November, year 1634:  
  
I can’t stand it anymore. Tomorrow I’ll leave this house forever and I don’t think I ever return.  
These two years have been filled only with sadness and guilt. I don’t remember how many times I’ve tried to make him remember me... but nothing has ever worked. For him now I’m only a stranger that lives in his house. Watching those beautiful eyes, which always looked at me with so much warmth and love, now only filled with unconcern and detachment it’s slowly killing me. I think it’s impossible for me to keep living here.  
I’ll put that damned spell and my engagement ring inside his last present and will hide it, so no one can make the same huge mistake that I made once.  
  
Sorry Nino, I couldn’t help you in any way. Tomorrow I’ll begin my travel to Paris.   
The only thing I can do now is trying to fulfil your last wish.  
  
  
~~   
  
  
“There are some pages ripped, but this is the last entry of the diary,” Ohno sniffed loudly and wiped his tears awkwardly.  
  
“Come on Oh-chan. It’s only a story,” Nino affectionately patted the young man’s head.  
  
“But it’s not some random story Nino! This is your life’s story!” Ohno complained and his eyes got watery again.  
  
“Yes, I suppose it is... but I don’t remember anything of it, so it isn’t that horrible, you know? I’m not crying or complaining about it. See?” Nino smiled encouragingly at him.  
  
In spite of his words, Ohno didn’t look too convinced and Nino sighed.  
  
“Look at it from another point of view, if this things had never happened, we would have never met,” Nino tried to persuade him.  
  
“Well, that’s true…” Ohno pensively muttered.  
“And this only proves one thing. I had always felt attracted to the arty type. See? Everything is alright!” Nino joked cheerfully but Ohno kept looking at the diary with a sad face.  
  
 “I wonder what was written in the missing pages… someone ripped them.”  
  
Seeing Ohno so depressed, Nino decided to hug him by surprise to make him feel better. When he passed through the book to wrap himself around the young man, he noticed something strange.  
  
“Hmmmm? There is something strange about this book,” he muttered wrapping his arms around Ohno.  
  
Ohno looked at him surprised and began to inspect the book more carefully. After some moments he noticed a light shape inside the book’s cover, almost imperceptible to the touch.  
  
“There is something here,” he said pointing at one place in the diary’s cover. He took a knife from the kitchen’s drawer and cut the cover carefully.  
  
Inside, they found an old sheet of paper and a small golden key. In the sheet there was a rough drawing of a box with a lock.  
  
“What were these things doing inside the diary?” Nino pondered looking at the golden key intrigued.  
  
“I think I’ve seen this box before,” Ohno murmured with his eyes fixed in the drawing.  
  
Nino looked at him with curiosity. Some seconds later Ohno’s eyes shone with acknowledgement.  
  
“I know it! I know it! It’s the music box that I found when you left me locked inside the secret passage!”  
  
“It’s that so?” Nino answered looking the drawing and trying to remember if he had seen it before. “So maybe we can found the box that appears in the drawing and open it… but what will we find inside?”


	15. Chapter 15

“Let’s go to the library!” proposed Ohno taking a candle and some matches from a drawer, “I’ll need them to search for the music box,” he explained to the little ghost when he saw his expression of curiosity.  
  
“Do you want to take a sandwich too?” Nino mocked the young man, remembering the last time Ohno had been in the secret passage.  
  
Ohno stuck out his tongue at him and grabbed his crutch.  
  
  
Once they were in the library, the young man moved the book that opened the secret passage and lit the candle. They crossed the corridor and entered the small room covered in dust.   
  
Ohno raised the candle to illuminate the room with a pensive look in his face.   
  
“I think I left the box inside one of the desk’s drawers,” he murmured and made a beeline towards the old desk, being closely followed by Nino.   
  
Before opening the drawers, Ohno’s fixed his attention in the dusty papers that covered the table.  
  
“If I remember correctly, these papers are musical scores, but last time I was here I couldn’t read the name of the composer,” he took one of the scores and scrunched his face trying to read the almost illegible name handwritten at the end of the paper.   
  
“Perhaps these are yours,” he muttered and showed the score to Nino. “Can you read it?”  
  
“Yes,” Nino answered looking at the score, “But I’ve never paid them too much attention because I can’t play an instrument, so…” he shrugged his shoulders with indifference. “Anyway, shouldn’t you be searching for the music box?”  
  
Ohno nodded and left the score on the table. Then, he began to rummage through the old desk’s drawers until he found the small ebony box.  
  
“Here it is!” he showed the box to the ghost. “It looks exactly like the one in the drawing!”  
  
They exited the secret passage to examine the box carefully under the sunlight that entered the library through the big windows.  
  
The young man blew the dust on the box’s surface and cleaned it a bit with a rag.   
  
“It’s really beautiful” he murmured with admiration, caressing softly its carved surface.   
“Well… are you ready?” he softly asked the ghost, waiting for his acceptance.  
  
Nino nodded slowly and Ohno proceeded to unlock the box with the small golden key that they had found inside the diary.  
  
A warm and beautiful melody began to sound as soon as he opened the box. Its soft notes filled the air of the library with its sweetness, making Ohno smile pleased.  
  
“It’s the song I heard in my trance!” Nino exclaimed shocked.  
  
Ohno looked at him with surprise, “Perhaps the woman you saw in your trance was Sumire,” he said, but Nino just shrugged his shoulders with a confused expression in his face.  
  
They returned their attention to the contents of the small box. Inside, they found a beautiful wedding ring, an old scroll and some folded papers. Ohno slowly unfolded the papers and examined them.  
  
“These are the ripped pages of the diary,” he murmured.  
  
  
~~   
  
  
_4th August, year 1632:_  
  
Today, I’ve finally told Nino about the spell. He is really excited about it and wants to try it as soon as possible. We’ve decided to cast the spell tomorrow morning, when we have everything ready.  
I hadn’t seen him so happy since his death...I hope everything goes well, I really do.  
  
  
10th August, year 1632:  
  
The most dreaded thing, the reason because I felt so hesitant to try the spell, has finally happened: The spell has failed and it’s entirely my fault.  
  
I’ll never forget his face when the light engulfed him. How his hopeful expression changed to a shocked one when the spell began to fail... And almost a few seconds before he disappeared, how incredibly sad he looked when he realised that the cause of the failure was that I didn’t loved him the same way he loved me... and still, his last words were a wish for my happiness.  
  
Some hours later, when I found him again wandering around the house with a confused face, he didn’t remember anything... neither me nor his past. He looked at me as if I was a stranger and his first words made me realise that he considered the house his. I just was an intruder for him.  
  
Why did I accept to cast the spell if I wasn’t completely sure of my feelings?... Why was my love insufficient to bring him back to life?... Why couldn’t I love him the same way he loved me?... Why?  
  
  
15th August, year 1632:  
  
I’m trying to make him remember me, but I only achieved his disdain. He wants us to leave the house, so is haunting the mansion. The servants are scared of him.   
Oh god! What have I done?  
  
  
24th October, year 1632:  
  
All the servants have fled too frightened by him to stay in the house. My parents have also left the house to live in our house in the city. They’ve tried to convince me to go with them but I’ve refused. I must help Nino. After all, everything it’s my fault.  
  
  
30th October, year 1632:   
  
I spent the days trying to make him remember us, our happy childhood days, the jokes we played together, anything... but nothing seems to work.  
  
  
25th December, year 1632:  
  
My parents want to sell the house but I haven’t allowed them to do it.   
  
  
12th December, year 1633:  
  
It’s almost Christmas but there is no happiness in this house.   
Everything is in silence and the gloomy atmosphere impregnates all the rooms in the house. Nino is ignoring my presence now. I feel so tired and powerless.  
  
~~   
  
  
“That’s the last entry,” Ohno said folding the papers.   
  
“Well, now we know the complete story, who was the woman in my trance and everything else so…do you want to watch a movie?” Nino asked hurriedly, averting his eyes from Ohno’s gaze and beginning to move towards the door.   
  
“Wait Nino! Don’t you want to examine the spell?” the young man incredulously inquired looking at the small ghost with a puzzled expression.  
  
“No, not at all,” the ghost answered still facing the door.  
  
“What’s the matter Nino?” Ohno asked, confused by the ghost’s strange behaviour.   
  
“Nothing!” Nino exclaimed with fake enthusiasm turning around to give him a big smile, “I’m a bit bored, that’s all!”  
  
“Nino…” Ohno frowned a bit, “You’re behaving really odd. Why don’t you come here and explain what’s troubling you to me?” he patted encouragingly the cushion beside him.  
  
Nino sighed in defeat and slowly floated towards him. He sat beside the young man and looked at the floor with a sad expression.  
  
“I don’t want us to try the spell…” he whispered after a few seconds without looking at Ohno’s face.  
  
“Why not? Don’t you want to be alive again? Don’t you want to try all those things that you can’t do now because you’re a ghost?... Don’t you want us to be together?” Ohno asked trying to understand the problem.  
  
“I… I don’t want to forget you,” the little ghost murmured and a single tear rolled down his check.  
  
“Why should the spell fail?” the young man tried to hug the ghost to comfort him.   
  
“But it failed once!” Nino abruptly got up and moved away from the young man, “and I didn’t remember her at all! She spent two years trying to make me recall her or my past life and nothing worked!”  
  
Nino fixed his gaze in Ohno with an anguished expression, “Are you going to do the same if it fails? Are you going to spend the next few years pointlessly trying to make me remember you until you can stand it anymore… until you give up and leave me behind?” he said with a broken voice and averted his eyes from the young man.  
  
“No, I wouldn’t try to make you remember me,” Ohno said with a serious face.  
  
Nino raised abruptly his head and looked at him with a shocked and hurt expression. “Wh-wha…” he began to splutter.  
  
“If the spell fails I’ll stay in the house…”  
  
“Being an unwanted intruder again? Enduring my attempts to throw you out the house again? What would you achieve with that?” Nino shouted, angry tears flowing down his cheeks.  
  
“I’ll stay in the house,” Ohno continued without paying attention to Nino’s fierce outburst of fury, “… and I’ll make you fall in love with me again. Then we’ll try the spell again! One, two, three times… as many times as we need until it works correctly.”  
  
“R-Really?” the little ghost asked in awe, taken aback by Ohno’s determined face.  
  
“Of course, Nino,” Ohno nodded with a smile, relaxing his expression. “Because I love you.” He scratched his head pensively, “Maybe I should have mentioned this in the first place, shouldn’t I?”   
  
“You, baka!” Nino said smiling through his tears.   
  
“Then, shall we try it?” The young man extended one hand in Nino’s direction, smiling mockingly.  
  
“O.k.!” Nino hugged Ohno with a big smile in his face.  
  
~~  
  
After hugging him for a few minutes, Nino moved away from Ohno and looked at the scroll with a determined face, “Let’s begin with this!”  
  
They carefully read the spell’s instruction and prepared everything they needed to cast it.  
  
“Are you ready?” asked Ohno with the scroll in his hands.  
  
After a brief moment of hesitance, Nino nodded “I’m ready.”  
  
They slowly recited the words of the spell at the same time. At first nothing seemed to happen, but suddenly, the scroll began to shine with a bright yellow light. The light became more and more intense with each passing second. Finally Ohno couldn’t stand it anymore and had to cover his eyes with his hands to avoid the painful light. The last thing he saw before the light engulfed them completely was the shocked expression in Nino’s face.


	16. Chapter 16

_Six months later_  
  
  
“We’re outside the magnificent hall where the last art exhibition hosted by the well-known art dealer Matsumoto Jun is taking place.”  
  
The tall reporter came closer to the elegant entrance, dodging the well-dressed people that were slowly entering the building.  
  
“This is the most awaited event in months for all the collectors, merchants and art-lovers in the city and thus, the invitations are highly demanded. Fortunately, we’ve managed to get one invitation so, without more delay, we’re going to enter the exhibition.”  
  
After those words, the reporter smiled broadly and entered the building. Once he was inside the elegant exhibition hall, he resumed his report animatedly.  
  
“As you can see, the hall is packed of important citizens who don’t want to lose their opportunity to attend this splendid event.”  
  
He looked around excitedly as if he was searching for something. Finally, he noticed a young man in a light grey suit, almost hidden behind the curtains, near the buffet table.  
  
“Aha! I found him!” he made a beeline for his unaware target.  
  
“Good afternoon, Ohno-san. Would you be so kind to grant us an interview?” he politely asked the surprised man.  
  
Ohno blinked owlishly and gulped the canapé he was munching a moment ago, “…Ok?”  
  
“Thank you very much!” the young reporter said gratefully. “This is your second exhibition, isn’t it? It’s clear that it has caught the public’s attention greatly, maybe even more than the first one… What do you think about its enormous popularity?”  
  
“Eeh… I’m really happy about it… I didn’t believe that my second exhibition could be so admired and popular…” he admitted with a shy smile.  
  
“The public went crazy when it was announced and the invitations were quickly depleted. We also have heard rumors about an amazing surprise prepared for today, the big opening day… what can you told us about it?” the reporter questioned excitedly.  
  
“Well, it is a famous guest’s performance… but I can’t tell you who this person is… If I did it, it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore, right?” Ohno chuckled amused.  
  
“But I want to know it!” the tall reporter pouted and looked at him with big, watery puppy eyes, “Tell me, tell me! Come on, Ohno-kun… Please, please, pretty plea-Ouch!” the young man turned around rubbing his head.  
  
“Masaki, I’ve told you a thousand times not to pester my guests!!” Matsumoto Jun reprimanded the young reporter.  
  
“But… but… I want to know about the surprise! It’s not fair that I’m the only one that doesn’t know who the special guest is! Not fair at all!” Aiba whined and then frowned at Jun, “And you could have told me!”  
  
“But I preferred not to do it,” Jun smiled sweetly at him and then faced Ohno, who was looking at them smiling with another canapé in his hand.  
  
“Ohno-kun, how is going the exhibition? Are you enjoying the event?” he asked the young man.  
  
“Yes, it’s really interesting! I wasn’t expecting so many people to come.”  
  
“I’m really glad you managed to make another exhibition so soon. Was it difficult to have everything ready for it?” Jun asked a bit apologetic.  
  
“Well, sometimes I thought I wasn’t going to be able to finish everything in time… there were some… distractions…” he answered with a strange expression.  
  
Jun nodded and then looked at the entrance. “Oh, excuse me for a moment, there is someone I need to greet,” Jun apologized and walked hurriedly towards the entrance, closely followed by Aiba.  
  
Ohno waved at them and then turned his attention at the buffet table, eyeing a particularly delicious-looking canapé. When he raised his gaze, he saw his friend Sho walking towards him with a pained expression and limping slightly.  
  
“How was your call?... and why are you limping?” he asked with curiosity.  
  
“My call was well, thank you. About my limp…”  
  
At that moment, the red curtains that had hidden a part of the hall opened showing a small stage with a stylish piano. Murmuring with expectation, the public slowly began to move near the stage.  
  
“I met a strange man outside the hall when I was on my way back after making the call,” Sho resumed his talk after looking with interest at the stage.  
  
“He approached me with an expression of curiosity and told me that I looked familiar to him. When I gave him my name and mentioned that I was your friend, his expression changed a bit and he said with a high-pitched voice: _“Ah! So you’re Sakurai Sho? I’m pleased to meet you!”_ He was smiling brightly, but I could swear that I heard him muttering something that sounded suspiciously like _“That twerp! Oh-chan almost died because of him!”_  
  
Ohno raised an eyebrow with a strange expression in his face.  
  
“After that, he hold out his hand to me but when I was going to shake it, he stomped over my foot… hard.”  
  
Ohno began to giggle and Sho looked at him with a pained expression.  
  
“It’s not funny!” he protested, “He immediately apologized, of course, but I couldn’t find any sincerity in his apologies!” he whined outraged. “After that he left without looking back!... I wonder who that brat is. Next time I see him, he is going to get a piece of my mind!”  
  
Sho’s complains were almost covered by Ohno’s loud laugh, and when he raised his head and looked at his friend’s offended expression, he began to laugh even louder, bracing his stomach.  
  
Suddenly, the lights dimmed, leaving only a strong light pointing at the piano on the stage.  
  
A small man, with dark hair, a black suit and a feline smile appeared on the stage and walked towards the piano. Once he was there he turned towards the public and began to salute.  
  
“It’s him!” Sho looked with a incredulous expression at the young man in the stage.  
  
“Isn’t he the mysterious young composer who appeared a few months ago and took the musical scene by surprise?” a excited voice whispered loudly behind them. “Rumors say that he is a close friend of the artist that is holding the exhibition… a really close frien-Ouch!”  
  
“Shut up!” someone hissed furiously behind them.  
  
“But I’m sure it’s him, Jun-pon!”  
  
Ohno and Sho could hear the sound of a particularly hard smack, closely followed by a surprised yelp.  
  
A moment later, Jun approached them with the sweetest smile on his face, followed by Aiba who was still rubbing his head with a pained expression.  
  
Ohno chuckled amused and answered Aiba’s question.  
  
“Yes, he is my close friend, Nino. Tonight’s melody… he composed it some years ago for a very special person. He just added the lyrics to the music recently,” he answered with a fond smile. What he didn’t say was that Nino had composed the lyrics especially for him. That was their little secret.  
  
Ohno turned around and looked at Nino, who sat in front of the elegant piano ready to begin his performance. Nino looked back at him and smiled shyly. In that moment, it was as if they were alone in the hall, lost in their own world.  
  
The notes of a warm and sweet melody began to fill the hall, and then the young man began to sing with a vibrant voice, never averting his eyes from Ohno…  
  
 _Itsumo sou yo._  
Suneru to kimi wa.  
Watashi no daiji na mono wo kakusu desho.  
Sono basho wa kimatte onaji dakara.  
Kyou wa saki ni itte matte miru wa.  
  
Kisetsutachi ga yuuhi wo tsurete kite  
Kage ga watashi wo mitsukete nobiru…  
  
 **  
END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, the song Nino is playing is Niji.


End file.
